Europe 2011: a review

“We don’t learn simply from experiences; we learn when we reflect on those experiences.”- Trevor Hudson

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a page.”- St. Augustine

“The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”-Into the Wild

Well I’ve been back in the U.S. for three weeks now (weird!) and I am still trying to process and think through everything I experienced during my time abroad. I went to Bratislava in September without a whole lot of expectations about what I would see and experience. I didn’t quite know what my time abroad would look like, but now, three months later, I am a completely changed person. I went in to the experience with an open mind and heart and have come back with an immense amount of memories, experiences, and lessons learned.

My internship at TWR was one that I will certainly never forget. As an intern in their Marketing and Communications department I not only had the chance to learn more about writing and editing for print and web publications, but I also had a chance to learn a lot about what it looks like to work in a Christian environment in general. One of the first things I noticed about working with TWR was how team-oriented the staff is. Everyone really balanced one another out and seemed generally interested in helping their fellow co-workers with anything they needed. This was also demonstrated in our morning devotional sessions, when we would lift up TWR projects, languages, staff members, and partners in prayer. To me this was just so special and significant. I think I will be hard-pressed in the future to find an organization that seems to care about their employees as much as TWR seems to care about theirs. They don’t just look at one another as co-workers, they seem to look at one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and that is a very important thing and is definitely something I will be looking for in a job in the future.

I certainly learned a lot about myself while I was abroad. I learned that I’m much more independent, courageous, and assertive than I ever thought before. I hadn’t thought about this too much until people I worked with began pointing out the fact that I wasn’t afraid or anxious to not only go out in the city of Bratislava alone at night, let alone spending an entire weekend in Salzburg or Prague alone. It’s only in the past five or six years that I’ve really been like this, but I’m glad I am. Because without my independent spirit I wouldn’t have seen half of the beauty I saw in Europe because I wasn’t afraid to pack a bag, get on a train and go. 

Another important thing I learned about myself is that I am pretty proud of the person I am. I don’t mean this to sound boastful in any way, but I think when I was abroad I really became at peace with the kind of person I am, even proud of who I am. That isn’t to say that I don’t have faults, because I surely do. I don’t always have patience when I should, and I don’t always react to situations the way I should, but I went into this experience barely knowing anyone. I was a blank canvas to them, able to present myself as any kind of person I wanted to be. I went in with the intent to be one hundred percent myself and to not hold back. That meant being honest when I needed to be honest, being vulnerable when I needed to be vulnerable, letting out my ridiculous sense of humor when I felt like it, and so on. And I can say that at the end of it all I am pretty proud of who I am. Because I was able to work with and form relationships with people there who seemed to genuinely enjoy my company as a co-worker and friend. I am proud of the fact that I work hard, am committed to things, and yet still enjoy laughing and experiencing the beauty of life.

The most important thing I learned abroad was just how important my relationship with God is. I regret to say that God has not always come first in my life, but being in Europe and working with the people at TWR really taught me how to live a Christ-centered life. I was continually amazed and overjoyed by how much God was faithful in answering the prayers we offered up at devotions, at meals, or in church. The people at TWR and in my church really gave everything to God in prayer and asked His help in everything they did, so seeing the results of those prayers was really overwhelming and beautiful to see.

I am so overwhelmed by the graciousness I received from the TWR staff. Every person I met at that organization was willing to help me in any way possible, and that meant a lot to me. Whether I needed help with a project or just someone to listen to me express my frustrations, someone was always there to help. I am so, so thankful for that. I am thankful for the people at the International Baptist Church who welcomed me in as one of their own almost immediately and who were interested in getting to know me and my life. I am thankful for those I became particularly close with, those whose friendships made me feel a little more at home and comfortable. Those who were willing to share with me just as much as I was willing to share with them.

God really is good and it’s because of Him and the support I received from friends and family that I was able to have this amazing, life-changing experience. Seriously, I will never be able to express enough gratitude to those who helped get me abroad and to those who helped make my time abroad so meaningful. I am forever grateful.

Now I’d like to share (in short) some of my most memorable moments of my European experience:

*Seeing the mountains/hills in Hungary from the top of Visegrad castle

*Sitting by the Danube river outside of Eurovea mall talking with Alenka on one of my first nights in town

*Getting caught in the rain the first time I walked around Old Town by myself in Bratislava

*Seeing the beauty of many churches: Esztergom Dom, Salzburg Dom, St. Martin’s Cathedral, St. Peter and Paul’s Cathedral, Matthias Church, Tyn Church, St. Stephen’s Basilica, etc

*Seeing the beauty of Schonbrunn palace and it’s immense gardens for the first time

*Seeing Budapest from the top of Castle Hill

*The amazingness of seeing Switchfoot in Vienna including the old man who took my picture, touching the lead singer, and getting the guitar pic

*Making a wish on the Charles Bridge in Prague on my 23rd birthday

*Enjoying get togethers with people from church

*Spending time with Philipp and Heike during my time in Vienna including alligator guy, Tall Pal, doing the Soulja Boi dance for Philipp, talking Gilmore Girls with Heike, rating people on the metro, British accents, telling stories about strangers, and more

*Christmas markets Christmas markets Christmas markets!! <3

*Taking in the beauty of Vienna in advent: Christmas lights and street decorations, Christmas markets, window displays, etc.

*Strolling around town with friends talking, going for food or drinks

*The time I slapped a tram and Philipp chest bumped a light pole (it still makes me laugh)

*Watching the sunset over the Austrian countryside on my way back from Salzburg

*Trying many things for the first time: goulash, sauerkraut, duck and geese among many other things

*My last lunch at Crazy John with the people from church

*Talking to a cute boy in a Prague bookstore about one of my favorite authors (who he was reading at the time)

*The happiness of the Christmas party where I was blessed to spend one last night with so many amazing people-enjoying a final Slovak meal, laughing, and looking forward to the future

I could mention so many more small moments that meant so much to me, but then I’d be going on for ages. All of that being said, my experience abroad was obviously one that meant a lot to me. I can’t wait to return someday

Frankfurt and Wetzlar, Germany

After my week in Vienna, I met my hosts/colleagues Frank and Alenka at the Vienna airport on Saturday morning December 3rd and we flew to Germany to meet with one of TWR’s major partners ERF Deutschland. We were able to see Frankfurt and the city of Wetzlar where ERF is located. Both cities were charming and beautiful in their own right. We also got to explore the Christmas markets in both cities.  Thought it was pretty cold and rainy the whole time we were there, it was a nice opportunity to see a different country and a different culture  

Downtown Frankfurt

Frankfurt city center and Christmas market

Church in Wetzlar

Enjoying Christmas market foods

Attack of the Santas in Frankfurt We found out that they were actually Christians spreading the good news of Jesus around Frankfurt!!

Church in Wetzlar

City center in Wetzlar <3

Wetzlar streets decorated for Christmas

View from a bridge in Wetzlar

City of Wetzlar, Germany

Tree in front of the Wetzlar Dom

 

My European soundtrack

Music has always been a major part of my life, so coming to Europe was no different: the music came along with me. Music helped get me through the unsure and lonely beginning, it was my companion as I sat on long train rides, it was what added the extra pep in my step as I walked through Bratislava, it helped get me through the work day, and more. I’d like to share some of that music with you now

Most Likely To Listen To While on a Train

Death Cab for Cutie- You are a Tourist: this song was kind of my life theme this summer, as it talks about ‘feeling like a tourist in the city where you still reside’ and finding out that ‘it’s time to go to find so many destinations to call home’, so I found this song particularly inspirational as I traveled on trains through different countries in Europe. There’s something about hearing someone sing about “the burning in your heart, an endless yearning in your heart” that always gave me energy and joy as I was seeing new parts of the world through the train windows. It also gave me a strong sense of relief to know that I was experiencing something that I’d always dreamed about. I was fulfilling that “yearning in my heart” to travel and see the world.

The Weepies- All This Beauty: what better way to soak up the beauty outside train windows as I was traveling than to do it while listening to the Weepies sing “All this beauty;/ You might have to close your eyes/ And slowly open wide
All this beauty; /We traveled all night/ We drank the ocean dry/And watched the sun rise…” This song is about experiencing beauty and soaking in the goodness around you, and it was such a great song to listen to while I traveled. It’s also so energetic and fun and helped me gain perspective whenever I felt down.

Most Likely to Listen to While Working 

At the beginning of my time in Slovakia I didn’ t usually bring my laptop to work with me, so to suffice my desire to listen to music all day long, I created a Youtube playlist of some of my favorite songs. I think my office mate Alenka most likely got sick of hearing the same 40-50 songs week after week , but it was a nice way to help the day pass.

Adele- Rolling in the Deep: Confession…I am obsessed with this song. Adele has such an amazing, powerful voice, and this song speaks volumes about some former love or failed relationship. I loved listening to it throughout the day and belting it out (in my head…or out loud when no one else was around ). The same could be said for her song “Someone Like You” which I also listened to obsessively during the work day.

Mumford and Sons- Home: Considering I wore my Mumford and Sons album out this summer, I was delighted to discover some random, non-album Mumford songs out there on Youtube. One of them was this song, which I completely love. The lyrics “As the moon hung proud and white/You would of loved it here tonight” always made me think of my friends and family back home and how I wish they could be experiencing and seeing a lot of the beauty that I see in Europe every day.

Snow Patrol- The Symphony: Snow Patrol has always been a favorite of mine, and I really got into their new album this fall. In recent days I’ve come to realize that this song is one of my absolute favorites on the album. I love the lyrics and how they seem to speak about the possibility of the future, of personal ghosts turning to angels, and seeing ‘the road ahead.’

Most Likely to Listen To While Walking/Riding the Bus

Coldplay- Hurts Like Heaven/Charlie Brown/Paradise/Princess of China: c’mon now, I’m a diehard Coldplay fan and a new album came out while I’ve been here–how do you expect me to choose just one CP song for this category?  But seriously, the combination of these four, upbeat songs on Coldplay’s new album Mylo Xyloto was PERFECT for walking and traveling about the city streets. They are fun, they’re energetic, and the last one features the voice of Rihanna. I may have sung her part out loud once (or twice or three or four or five times) as I walked around deserted streets late at night or early in the morning.

Mat Kearney- Young Dumb and In Love: this could also be filed under ‘Most Likely to Listen To When I Dream About Marrying Mat Kearney.’ Mat Kearney is a recent favorite of mine (thanks Philipp!), and his album “Young Love” is so fun to listen to when I’m out and about. Some of the songs are slower and they are incredibly beautiful, but his energetic, fun songs are the best. How can I not smile or walk a little brighter when he says “Baby you’ve got me ten feet off the ground”? I tell you what, Mrs. Kearney is one lucky gal

Most Likely to Have Inside My Head While in a Cathedral

The unofficial nickname for Europe should be: The Land of a Billion Churches. Everywhere you turn in Europe you’re likely to find a church or cathedral. And inside every one you’re bound to find a lot of beauty. Of course, a lot of them are simply overdone, but, for the most part, I’ve found that European churches are some of the most beautiful man made structures in the world. Being in so many of them made me think of one specific song:

Death Cab for Cutie- St. Peter’s Cathedral: This song is so incredibly tragic but beautiful at the same time. The song is basically an observation of St. Peter’s cathedral and all of it’s beautiful features-the stained glass, the steeple,  the granite, etc. Unfortunately, the lead singer of Death Cab only sees this as a “master plan” and “chemicals to help us understand” that “when our hearts stop ticking, there’s nothing past this.” He either doesn’t believe that there’s more depth to the church than the beauty of the buildings, or that there’s nothing more to our existence beyond death. It’s really quite sad and makes me want to hug Ben Gibbard like crazy, but this song definitely stuck in my head every time I was in one of those beautiful churches.

Most Likely to Remind Me of my First European Concert Experience

Switchfoot-Where I Belong: Like I mentioned before, near the middle of November I had the chance to see Switchfoot in concert in Vienna with my dear friends Philipp and Frank. The concert was absolutely amazing, and I was so glad to hear them sing so many of my favorite songs from their new album “Vice Verses.” One of these favorites was “Where I Belong” which I remember them performing extremely well. I’m sure whenever I’ll listen to this Switchfoot album I think of that awesome night

 

So there you have it. There’s some of what was floating through my ears and my head as I traveled around and experienced Europe. I’m sure these songs will always remind me of this special period in my life, just as other songs remind me of other life moments.

Vienna, how I love thee

After a week in Bratislava, I had the opportunity to go to Vienna from Nov 28-Dec 2nd. The main purpose of the trip was for me to work in the TWR Vienna office and to get to know the staff and atmosphere better there. I enjoyed my time in the office quite a bit and also enjoyed my time in the city a lot too. Christmas markets were all around the city and I enjoyed experiencing those for the first time. We don’t have Christmas markets in the States, so for all of you American readers out there-Christmas markets are basically markets set up around town where people open stalls and sell their handmade crafts/items/foods, etc. There’s also a lot of interesting food and drink options too. It’s like a high-class version of the county fair…minus the animals and fried versions of every possible food  

I was also fortunate to spend a good amount of time in Vienna with Philipp and Heike again, so that was quite nice as well But, of course, spending time with Alligator Guy was the best of all

Vienna is just such a beautiful, magical city. It’s the perfect blend of old and new. There are beautiful, old buildings and locations with rich histories, and then there are newer, modern places that cater to younger generations. I just loved everything about it. Plus there was such a great feel in the air with the Advent season upon us. The Christmas decorations in the city were the epitome of “city sidewalks, busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style” and the Christmas markets definitely put me in the holiday spirit. 

Vienna is definitely near the top of my list for favorite European cities

At Schonbrunn Palace's Christmas market

Ornaments for sale at the Christmas market

Christmas lights decorating Stephansplatz

St. Stephen's Cathedral

Beautiful lights inside St. Stephen's

Town hall with the biggest Christmas market in Vienna in front of it

Heike and I in front of some of the beautiful Christmas decorations. Photo by Philipp

Statue of the Holy Trinity

Gorrrrrrgeous

Just hanging with Tall Pal

St. Stephen's in the daytime

Need to purchase some candles or holy water?

I enjoy these two quite a bit

Czech it out: I went to Prague

It’s been a busy few weeks for me here in Eastern Europe, so I haven’t had a lot of time to blog about my traveling experiences. Let’s go back to mid-November for this post so I can tell you about my journeys to Brno and Prague, Czech Republic.

I went to Brno, CZ will my work colleague Alenka so we could visit a TWR partner office there-TWR-CZ. We stayed in the office guest bedroom, had some good interviews with the site director and a program producer, and spent a day exploring the charming city that is Brno.

While Brno was not incredibly large, it offered good shopping, cafes, restaurants, and, in general, a nice atmosphere. We even saw a large group of American Mormom missionary boys and I wanted to be their best friends (simply because it was a large group of Americans roughly around my age…not because they were oh-so-handsome in their suits and ties ).

Brno, CZ

Interesting architecture in Brno

St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Brno

St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral...beautiful!

After a quick trip in Brno, Alenka and I parted ways. She headed back to Bratislava and I took the train to Prague. Since I arrived in Eastern Europe everyone’s been telling me that Prague is the most gorgeous city there is in this part of the world, so I was excited to see it, for sure.

I stayed at a hostel near the Old Town and was able to see a lot of the city on foot in just three days. I saw the Astronomical Clock, the Municipal House, Powder Tower, Tyn Church, St. Nicholas’ Church, St. Vitus Church, the Charles Bridge (my favorite), Kampa Island, the Lennon wall, and more.

Prague's astronomical clock

St. Vitus Cathedral

Wenceslas Square

Prague Castle

Municipal house

Old town and Tyn Church (left)

View of Prague from Castle Hill

Standing on Charles Bridge

I also happened to be in Prague on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution-November 17th (which is also my birthday ) so there were exciting things happening all over the place. I couldn’t tell if it was just memorial celebrations or something more along the lines of “Occupy Prague”, because the demonstrations I saw weren’t necessarily joyous.

Overall, Prague was a very beautiful city full of many different things to explore and see. I loved the architecture, the views from the Charles Bridge, the look of the streets, and, in general, the overall atmosphere of the city. It was just so alive and beautiful.

After Prague I made a short stop in Vienna, Austria to see Switchfoot in concert w/ two TWR guys Frank and Philipp. The concert was absolutely amazing and the band did a fantastic job at putting on a good show. We got to touch the lead singer Jon Foreman as he ran through the crowd and Philipp managed to get the bassist’s guitar pic which he so nicely passed along to me. Thanks, Philipp!

Philipp, Frank, and myself at the concert

Switchfoot!

Lead singer stage diving

On Sunday I had lunch w/ Philipp and Heike (a TWR gal and new friend) and had goose for the first time. Apparently goose is a traditional Christmas dish in Europe, but I’d never had it before. It was HUMONGOUS but fantastic!

Heike and I with our geese

After that whirlwind week I spent a quiet week at home in Bratislava before moving on to Vienna and Germany….but more on that later!

The hills are alive with the Sound of Salzburg

Okay. Confession time: I actually can’t stand “The Sound of Music”. The movie just bugs me! Okay…. another confession: I think I’ve only ever seen it once or twice. And I haven’t seen it since I was probably twelve or so. But twelve year-old me was not a fan of this movie/musical. Maybe I should give it another shot, or maybe I should just accept the fact that I’ll never appreciate Julie Andrews spinning on top of Austrian hillsides. So, you can imagine the immense JOY I experienced (does sarcasm translate well in the blogosphere?) spending my weekend in Salzburg, Austria-home of this beloved musical, where there’s advertisements for “Sound of Music” or “Von Trapp” tours around every corner.

But, in all honesty, my weekend in Salzburg was actually very great. The city was incredibly quaint and full of charm and beauty. Let me share some of my Salzburg experience with you.

The train ride from Bratislava to Wien and from Wien to Salzburg were fairly uneventful. Unless you count the two girls on the train to Wien who drank champagne out of “101 Dalmations” glasses and asked, at every stop, if we were at Wien yet. We reassured them every time, “No, not yet.” I think they drank the entire bottle. That might explain the confusion. And of course the compartment in the Bratislava to Salzburg train slowly got emptier and emptier, until it was just me for the last hour or so, laying on the seats and singing “The Weepies” out loud to myself. Singing out loud in empty train compartments has become a new hobby of mine here in Europe

Journey from Wien to Salzburg

Taking a break from singing to pose for a picture in the compartment

There’s not much to say about the hostel except that it was nice, clean, and full of really loud people I stayed in a room with five other girls.

My room in the hostel

On the first morning I had breakfast in the hostel and headed out early to see the city. The first thing I saw was Mirabell Palace and gardens. I wouldn’t have realized that this was a place where certain scenes from “The Sound of Music” took place unless there had been an American woman walking around with her husband screaming things like “Oh my gosh!!!!!!! Don!!!!!!!!!! This is where they sang ‘Do-re-mi’!!!!!!!!!!!! Don!!!!!!!!!! Come look!!!!!!” Her enthusiasm added a little bit of humor to my otherwise peaceful stroll through the gardens.

Entrance to Mirabell Palace

Statue in Mirabell Palace's gardens

Mirabell palace gardens

Statue in Mirabell

 After visiting Mirabell I walked over the Salzach River on a pedestrian bridge. The views of the city from the river were amazing. I spent quite awhile there just soaking in the city and of course taking tons of pictures. 

View of the Salzach River

Then I crossed the street and followed some other tourists onto a main shopping street. There were tons of souvenir shops but also regular clothing and shoe stores as well. I spent a few hours popping into stores, checking out the special Austrian items like Mozart chocolate balls, wooden clocks, music boxes, etc. 

Austrian chocolates

Clocks

I also stumbled upon an open air market where people were selling fruits, vegetables, nuts, dried fruit, candies, and flowers. It was awesome to look at everything and people watch  

Flowers in the market

Selling nuts in the market

Then I went into a large church-Dom Salzburg- and explored the inside of the church for awhile. It was incredibly beautiful, but I’m not surprised. Europe loves their churches and they know how to do them well. The crypt was a little scary, but it was still interesting

Dom Salzburg

Beautiful ceilings inside the church

After exploring the church I walked around the square outside of it, where people were playing on a life-sized chess board, musicians were playing all around, and people were taking horse-drawn carriages around to see the sights. It was awesome. 

Carriage ride through the square

Large chess board

Violin player in the square

I then took another pedestrian bridge back across the river and stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at a small coffee shop. After that I did a little more window/store shopping. I love going into bookstores in different countries and finding familiar titles in different languages  

I took a small break back at the hostel and then went back out into the city just to look around. It was interesting and beautiful to see the city at night, especially at the river. 

Salzburg at night

On Sunday morning I took a bus to Hellbrunn Palace where apparently more “Sound of Music” scenes take place. The palace and gardens were incredibly beautiful-the morning was foggy but the fountains, gardens, and grounds were still quite beautiful. I enjoyed walking around there for a few hours. After Hellbrunn I took the bus back into the main part of the city and walked down new streets just to explore. Then I headed to the train station to begin the 5 hour journey back to Bratislava. Unfortunately my camera’s battery died on Sunday morning, so I have zero pictures of Day Two  

Overall my small trip to Salzburg was great. The sights were beautiful, the streets were cute and charming, and the people were all quite friendly. I would definitely recommend a trip there-especially if you like “Sound of Music”, because all of those connections were lost on me Regardless, it was a fantastic time. 

“Thank you…er-I mean, Dakujem”

During the time I’ve spent in Bratislava so far, I’ve had many people ask me what some of the cultural differences are that I’ve noticed between life in the United States and life here in Slovakia. There are a lot of differences I’ve noticed, yet, there are still things that feel quite similar. Let me explain some of those cultural differences now!

1. Meals- In Slovakia (and perhaps in Eastern Europe as a whole), lunch is considered to be the biggest meal of the day. A typical lunch in the States consists of something like: a small sandwich, chips/pretzels, and fruit or veggie. A typical lunch in Slovakia usually consists of: bread, soup, meat, small salad (like coleslaw), and some potatoes or other starch. Dinner is usually then a little bit lighter. When I think about this style of eating, it makes complete sense. A bigger lunch gives you more energy for the day, and by the time dinner comes around, you’re happy and content to eat something lighter, knowing that bed time is just around the corner. I’ve noticed too, that food in Slovakia is much heavier-meaning it is heavy in starches and carbohydrates and fills you up faster. And as a lot of restaurants serve bread and soup before the main course, that helps fill you up too.

There's a restaurant near my workplace that offers schnitzel and potatoes, which I've found I really love! The typical lunch plate looks something like this (also with soup and bread)

2. Military time and the metric system- Most businesses/people operate under what we Americans call ‘military time’, but I think most countries just consider it 24h time. This wasn’t too hard to adjust to, as I had to use military time on forms/documents at my full-time job this summer, but I still have to think about it every once in awhile. I set my phone clock to military time so I could adjust to it quickly, and it hasn’t been any problem. In the States we operate on standard time, meaning six o’clock in the evening isn’t 18:00, it’s 6:00pm and midnight isn’t 24:00 or 00:00, it’s 12am. Another difference is between the metric system (Slovakia) and the Imperial/US system. I know what a centimeter is, and I know what a meter is, but when I see a sign that says: “Bratislava 32 km”, I have no idea how long that will take us, or, about how many miles that is. It’s the same with weight. Most things here are measured in grams and kilograms and in the States we measure in ounces and pounds. I haven’t had to make any significant decisions based on any of this yet, but I have relied on the handy dandy ‘conversion’ tool in my cell phone just to see how things measure up.

 

3. Wedding bands- It’s tradition in the States to wear wedding bands on the left hand finger between the middle and the pinky. As myth would have it, before much was known about the circulatory system, scientists believed a vein ran from that left hand ring finger directly to the heart. So wedding bands were placed on that finger since the heart is associated with love. Most married people I’ve met here in Slovakia and the surrounding area wear their wedding bands on the right hand ring finger.

4. Street and car sizes- Yes, it’s true, European cars are much smaller than those in the States, but that wasn’t hard to get used to at all, considering the car I drove in the States was quite small (it may not look like it, but, for American standards, it was small). I don’t think European cars would feel as small if they weren’t driven on exceptionally small streets. Besides main roads, many neighborhood or back roads are quite cramped. I haven’t driven a car while I’ve been here, but I can imagine it’d make me feel a little claustrophobic to do so.

 

5. Service in restaurants- Please let me say, for the record, that none of these are things I’m complaining about, especially this one. I spent my summer waitressing on the weekends at a pretty nice restaurant where patrons would dine on steak that was too expensive for what it was worth and overindulge on wine and cocktails that were also more expensive than they were worth. Because they were spending so much, we, as the waiters and waitresses, were expected to provide a high level of service. That meant smiling through my irritation and exhibiting the highest level of patience I’ve ever reached because most of my pay relied heavily on tips (as I only earned about $3.40 an hour). I dealt with so much from customers. Like the night where we hosted a wedding rehearsal dinner and the best man got so drunk that he kept grabbing me around the waist and asking me for my number every time I’d walk by. Or how, on my second night, a customer told me that it “was clear I was new” and “didn’t deserve a 20% tip.” Ouch. That’s why I appreciate the fact that most waiters/waitresses aren’t even tipped here in Europe.  Therefore, they don’t have to waste their time with theatrics and fake smiles for us. They ask us what we want, bring it to us, let us eat, and then let us on our way. Plain and simple. And that’s how I like it. Bravo, Europe!

So those are just a few of the differences I’ve noticed thus far. Of course there are differences in mannerisms, food choices, etc, but these are some of the main differences I’ve noticed between the States and Slovakia. It makes me wonder how I’ll adjust to the American lifestyle once I return in December

Visit to Auschwitz

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to travel to  Oswiecim, Poland to visit Auschwitz, the concentration camp run by the Nazis in WWII which was, unfortunately, the site of hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives.

I didn’t know what to really expect from this visit, but what I saw and learned on that day at Auschwitz will forever be with me and forever change the way I think about that time in history.

In college I had the opportunity to take a course called the Jewish Holocaust, taught by Dr. Murphy, a professor who specialized in the history of the Holocaust. It was one of my favorite courses at AU and as I walked around the camps I could remember things Dr. Murphy had taught us in that class. But this was different. It wasn’t just reading about the atrocities in a textbook or hearing about it in a lecture, it was actually standing in the places where so many people lost their lives in such inhumane ways. I was so thankful that I had taken Jewish Holocaust in college, because everything Dr. Murphy taught me came flooding back to me then.

Auschwitz actually consists of a number of camps, but Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau are probably the most well-known and are the two that we visited. The first camp we went to was called Auschwitz I.  Auschwitz I was the original camp set up by the SS during the war and it was the site of the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” (work makes you free) sign which is the first thing we saw.

"Work makes you free"

We then took a tour in the buildings, called blocks. Most blocks were open and each contained a different type of museum display or point of interest (e.g. physical evidence of crimes, experimentation, etc.) It was all one big history lesson, as we were able to learn about WWII itself, the SS and the Nazi regime, the plans for concentration camps, what types of people were brought into the concentration camps, facts about life inside the camps, how people were tortured and killed, how many people were killed, and so much more.

Double rows of barbed wire which would have been electrified when prisoners were kept inside

Block buildings

Empty canisters of Zyklon-B: the main chemical used for killings

Glasses that belonged to the victims

Luggage that belonged to the victims. Each was marked with a name and date of birth. Most believed they would retrieve their suitcase at the end of their resettlement. As you can see here, many did not get that opportunity.

Some of the children's clothing that was found in the luggage. Most children, especially babies, toddlers, and those not old or strong enough to work, were killed immediately upon arriving

The most disturbing or haunting display I saw in the blocks was definitely the collection of shoes and the collection of hair from victims. The hair was taken from victims to make textiles and wigs. The room full of hair-most of it turning a shade of gray with decay-was immense and deep. I couldn’t believe how much was there, and I honestly couldn’t spend too much time in that room. I stepped in and stepped back out about five seconds later. Needless to say, I didn’t get any pictures in that room. The shoes display was so incredibly shocking to me. These were shoes that were taken from victims upon arrival. Any shoes that were in decent condition were sent off to Berlin, all the other shoes were left there. The collection of shoes was so vast and deep, it’s hard to know just how many shoes were there and to understand the depth of it unless you can go there to see it in person. It was heartbreaking and shocking and maddening all at the same time. There were shoes that belonged to the old, to the young, to the rich and to the poor. No one was spared there, it seems. Each of those shoes represented a life lost, and it was beyond heartbreaking to see all of it. I truly can’t explain what it was like to see all of those shoes. There was even a small collection of only children’s shoes, and that was even more heart-breaking.

This is literally not even a fraction of the shoe collection they had there

Another thing that was shocking to learn about was that Rudolph Höss, the first Commandant at Auschwitz I, lived only a few hundred feet from the camp and the crematorium in a home with his wife and five children. All I could think about was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a book by John Boyne that was adapted for film a few years ago. The story focuses on Bruno, a small boy who is the son of a Nazi Commandant who lives in a house close to a concentration camp and who befriends a small Jewish boy inside the camp. The book and the movie are both incredibly amazing. Seeing Höss’ house made me think that John Boyne must have known his story before writing that book. Hoss was later tried for his crimes at Nuremberg and sentenced to death. He was hung at the gallows inside Auschwitz (just to the left of the photo I took below), per the request of Holocaust survivors.

Hoss' house. I took this photo standing inside the camp with no zoom. That's how close his wife and young children lived to the camp

We also went into the main gas chamber and crematorium at Auschwitz I. This was an incredibly strange and emotionally powerful moment. Just to know I was standing in a room where so many innocent people lost their lives was very touching and sad.

Inside the gas chamber

Crematorium

In another block the entire hallway was lined with photos of victims including their names, dates of birth and death, and place of birth. It was completely heartbreaking. The photos went on and on and I’m sure they’re not even a fraction of how many people were actually killed during the Holocaust.

Photos of victims on the walls

After seeing more displays and artifacts in the blocks at Auschwitz I we took a five minute bus ride to Auschwitz II, or Auschwitz-Birkenau. This was the site of the infamous ‘selection’ process that separated those who would go immediately to the gas chambers and who would be put to work. As it’s known, most men of able age and strength were selected to stay, most children and women with young babies were sent to the gas chambers. Auschwitz Birkenau is also the site of many, many, many barracks where men and women slept 2-3 to a bed. It is where most people lived and worked and died. There were some remains of gas chambers there as well, but they were just remains as the SS attempted to destroy evidence of their crimes near the end of the war. The enormity of Auschwitz-Birkenau just blew my mind. I wasn’t expecting it to be as big as it was. I can’t even begin to guess how big it was. It was mind-blowing.

View from a top watch tower over Auschwitz-Birkenau. Most of this picture shows ruins of barracks.

Where cattle cars full of prisoners would come in to the camp

Standing at the end of the railroad tracks

Inside the barracks

Paying respects to those who were killed

One thing that made the trip to Auschwitz memorable in a strange way was how beautiful the land in the camps and around the camps were. Everywhere I looked there were beautiful trees with changing leaves. The sky was dreary but the day was still crisp with a nice fall air. It made such a weird contrast to everything I was seeing. Here was a beautiful piece of God’s creation, a place to marvel at, yet it was a place where so many of God’s people were so brutally killed. In that beautiful piece of God’s landscape so many people lost their lives and so many lost their faith in God. It was so heartbreaking to know that such awful things happened in such a beautiful place.

Overall, my trip to Auschwitz was incredible. I was able to see and learn new things and really gain a clearer understanding of what happened to the victims of the Holocaust at Auschwitz. It was a truly moving experience, and if you’re ever close to Poland or even if you’re just in Eastern Europe, I would highly recommend a visit to Auschwitz.

“For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.” – Elie Wiesel

From ruins to opulence: Carnuntum and Schönbrunn Palace

Last weekend I had the opportunity to see two very unique but very different places in Austria. The first was Carnuntum, an area where Roman soldiers/people used to live back long ago. It consisted of a few museums, an amphitheater where Roman men would fight, and a re-built settlement area that is supposed to replicate what a traditional Roman settlement would have looked like. The first museum we went to had a lot of recovered artifacts and history about the settlement/amphitheater. Unfortunately the majority of it was in German or Slovak, so I read all that was offered in English.

Carnuntum Museum

Carnuntum artifacts

More Carnuntum artifacts

After we finished at the first museum we drove to the amphitheater. All I could think of was “A Knight’s Tale” and other movies where men would battle it out in an arena, even though it didn’t look quite like that.

The amphitheater

Carnuntum amphitheater

Then we went to another museum that had outside an area that was built to look like the Roman settlements of long ago. It was pretty interesting to wander through the rooms and buildings and imagine how people must have lived back then.

Roman settlement

On the way back we stopped at a big gate called Heathen’s Gate which was also built during this same time period.

Heathen's Gate

The second place we went to that weekend was Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. The palace was beautiful in and of itself, and the gardens in the back just topped off the beauty. There were flowers everywhere, beautiful statues, fountains, a labyrinth, and so much more. It was awesome. I wouldn’t mind going back again, that’s for sure.

Schönbrunn Palace

Gardens at Schönbrunn Palace

Me at Schönbrunn Palace

Gardens at Schönbrunn Palace

Schönbrunn Palace fountain

Buda+Pest=Budapest!

This week I had the wonderful opportunity to take a one-day trip to  Budapest, Hungary. Don and Ruthann (the interim pastors at the International Baptist Church of Bratislava), along with their friend Gene were planning on spending the day there, so they asked me along. TWR was kind enough to pay for my travel expenses and meals as long as I took photo/video during my time there.

The train from Bratislava to Budapest left ripe and early at 5:53am, which means I was up and getting ready to leave a little after 4am. The train was actually much different than any other train I’d been on before, and (European people reading this, don’t laugh at me) I was excited that it had individual compartments! Each had six cushioned seats and overhead luggage racks, and I had only seen something like that, on, you know, the Hogwarts Express . The train ride itself was fine but made me realize that it’s not just Bratislava citizens who love graffiti so much–that stuff is EVERYWHERE! The view out the window went a little like: city lights, graffiti, cute little village, graffiti, small mountains covered in fog, graffiti, cute little village, graffiti, etc. I certainly don’t expect passenger trains to run through the most attractive parts of every city, but, my goodness, I think I’ve seen more graffiti in my 3 weeks here than I have seen in my (almost) 23 years in the States!

Train compartment

Beautiful view out of the window on the way to Budapest

Train station in Pest

Anyway, we made it safely to Budapest and took care of some things before heading out into the city (exchanging money, picking up some maps, getting info about sightseeing, and, of course paying to use a bathroom…gotta love it!)

The first thing we did was take the metro across town where we knew a walking tour would begin soon. Don, Ruthann, and Gene weren’t too sure how to use the metro, but I managed to get us to our destination pretty quickly. I think my experience with the London, Paris, and New York metro systems definitely helped me as I led us through the Budapest metro system.

Budapest metro

Metro map

When we got to our destination- Vörösmarty tér -we stopped for some quick coffee and a bit of souvenir buying. We then joined a walking tour led by an English speaking Hungarian woman. For those who don’t know, Budapest is divided into two sections, each on opposite sides of the Danube River. One is called Buda, the other is Pest…hence, Budapest Our tour began on the Pest side of the city.

Fountain in Vorosmarty ter

Statue in Vorosmarty ter

The first stop on the walking tour was the Vigadó Concert Hall. We sat outside and enjoyed a nice little history lesson from the tour guide. Like most cities in Eastern Europe, we learned that Budapest was once ruled by Communism and is still trying to pick up the pieces from the time of Communist rule in their city. A lot of the architecture in the city is very Communistesque and looks a little funny sitting next to a lot of the beautiful, neo-classical architecture of the city.

Vigado Concert Hall

Vigado concert hall fountain

Vigado concert hall fountain

After the brief history lesson of Budapest, we stopped at the Little Princess statue along the Pest promenade. This statue has no real meaning behind it, it was just constructed and put up for fun after the fall of Communism. We learned that the statue looks more like a little boy than a girl because the artist working on it did not have any daughters, so he used his young son as a model. We each then took a turn making wishes and rubbing the knees of the Little Princess statue, because, you know, it’s supposed to make that wish come true or something

Little princess

Then we headed over to the statue of someone important. I can’t remember quite who he was, but I know that he helped set up the city streets/city plan long, long ago. Bravo, dude, whoever you might be!

"I did something important! Look at me with awe and wonder!"

Then the tour guide complained a lot about the government as we stood in front of some government building. Turns out it’s not just Americans who are fed up with their political system

We then went to the beautiful St. Stephen’s Basilica. The basilica is named after Stephen, the first king of Hungary, and even has his mummified right hand inside. Cute! The building was really big and beautiful though, and I wish I could have had a chance to see inside. Oh well, perhaps on a visit in the future!

St. Stephen's basilica

St. Stephen's basilica

St. Stephen's basilica

Next we saw Gresham Palace, which has been converted to a Four Seasons hotel. The side of Gresham Palace sits right next to a very Communist style building (straight lines, grey color, block architecture), and the contrast was pretty striking. The gates/decoration above the doors was quite beautiful.

Gresham Palace

Gresham Palace

After taking a look at the Gresham Palace we went to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (also a very beautiful building) where we learned about various accomplishments and inventions of Hungarians such as the Rubik’s cube–who knew!?

Academy of Sciences

Then we made our way across the Chain Bridge which stretches across the Danube to join Buda and Pest. From the bridge we had great views of both Buda and Pest.

Chain Bridge

View from Chain Bridge

View of the Budapest Parliament building from Chain Bridge

View of Buda from Chain Bridge

Once we made it to Buda, we trekked up a little over 200 steps to Castle Hill, a historical district of the city which is home to the Budapest Castle, Matthias Church, the Budapest version of the White House, and more. We stood at a lookout point where we had an AWESOME view of both sides of the city and of the Danube down below. Unfortunately, it was a bit grey and dreary, but the view was still fantastic.

View from the top of Castle Hill

View from the top of Castle Hill

We then headed through the Castle Hill district to Matthias Church. Some of the windows and different architectural styles reminded me of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, but it had a unique style all it’s own. The roof was particularly intriguing as it was a mirage of different colored tiles.

Matthias Church

Matthias Church

With that, the walking tour was over, and Don, Ruthann, Gene and I went to grab some lunch. We stopped at a small cafe where they got goulash (a typical Hungarian dish), but I opted for pizza I’ve tried goulash during my time here, and while it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t my favorite either!

Hungarian pizza! Classic!

After lunch, Don, Ruthann, and Gene wanted to catch the 3pm train back to Bratislava, but I wanted to stick around and experience the city more. So they took a taxi back to the train station while I hiked back down the steps of Castle Hill and back toward Pest, but, of course, without taking a few more pictures along the way.

Castle Hill statue

Tracks of the funicular that takes people up/down Castle Hill

Budapest Castle

When I got back over to Pest I decided to just wander around the city for awhile. Eventually I made my way back to Vorosmarty ter and began to walk down the Váci Utca, a well-known shopping/tourism street in the city. I stopped in a few shops and spent most of my time just people watching and taking everything in.

Vaci utca

Vaci Utca ends with the Great Market Hall which is an amazing indoor market. The whole bottom level was all food. They had everything including bread, meats, vegetables, fruits, spices, wines and alcohol, and various stands where they sold hot food. It was really amazing to see all of the possibilities. The other floors offer a few food stalls, one large restaurant, and a number of craft/souvenir stalls. I had a hard time deciding what to get, but got a scarf, a print drawing of Budapest, some postcards, a mug, and a few random gifts for people back home.

Great Market Hall

Inside the Great Market Hall

Unfortunately the Great Market Hall closed at 6, so I left when they closed and spent some more time just drifting around the city. I grabbed a quick bite at Burger King (shameful, I know, when there are a thousand authentic Hungarian restaurants to choose from, but I was in a hurry!!!!) before getting back on the metro and going back to the train station.

On the train ride back I was in a compartment alone and spent much of the time laying on the seats and belting out a mixture of the Avett Brothers, Coldplay, and Death Cab for Cutie. Let’s hope those compartment walls were sound proof, otherwise my neighbors on either side got quite the train concert experience There were also a bunch of random moments when the train would just stop in the middle of nowhere (not at other train stations, but in the middle of fields and stuff) and the lights would go completely out, and I was certain that I was about to be murdered. But thankfully, I made it back to Bratislava safely and 100% alive!

Overall my day in Budapest was quite great! I am really thankful for TWR for letting me have the day off and for funding my trip! Budapest was such a beautiful city and I hope to see it again someday!