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!

I am hungry for Hungary

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Domos, Hungary with the International Baptist Church of Bratislava. I was pretty worn out from the week, but was definitely excited to go, meet new people, and see a new country. I drove in a car with Frank, Alenka, Marejenka, her husband Ivan, and Marek. We arrived late Friday night and, after connecting with some people from the church group, went to bed almost immediately.

On Saturday morning we had breakfast and began morning sessions led by pastor Don. He spoke about spiritual gifts-what the Bible says about them, how we can attain them, and what spiritual gifts we have now. I hadn’t studied spiritual gifts too much, so it was really interesting to see what the Bible had to say about it, and to think clearly about the spiritual gifts God has given me. I think one of my best spiritual gifts is the gift of compassion and encouragement. I love writing notes and letters to my friends and filling them with encouraging words, quotes, and Bible verses. I also love baking and cooking for my friends and expressing love for them by serving them in that way.

View from the retreat center

Fall is here

Retreat center

After lunch we split up in groups to go to some of the sights around Domos and surrounding cities. I went with a group up to Visegrad to see the remains of the Upper Castle which was built by King Bela IV in the 1200s. The drive up the hill was really beautiful, and we even stopped at a lookout point to look at the Danube river and the mountains/hills surrounding it. It was incredibly beautiful, and the weather was perfect, so it made for a great moment.

 

 

Church in the town of Visegrad

Beautiful view from the lookout at Visegrad

Lookout at Visegrad

The castle itself was really cool to see. It was basically just the remains of what was left from numerous invasions and hundreds of years of age. The view from the top of the castle was really great as well as it looked out even farther across the Danube.

 

 

View of the Danube from the Upper Castle at Visegrad

Visegrad castle

Visegrad Castle remains

Then we took a helicopter ride and I took some aerial shots. Just kidding

After Visegrad, we went to Esztergom. We didn’t have a lot of time in Esztergom, so we opted to get ice cream and walk around the main town square. It seemed almost like a ghost town, because there were very few people walking around and someone playing  really creepy/depressing music off in the distance, but, nevertheless, it was still a beautiful place.

 

 

Bank in Esztergom

Statue in the main square of Esztergom

Statue in Esztergom's main square

Esztergom, Hungary

After our trips to Visegrad and Esztergom, we headed back to the retreat center for dinner, an evening session, and a movie. It was all very relaxing and spiritually enriching which made it a great day.

On Sunday we had another session led by Don in the morning where we discussed the spiritual gifts we find in one another and in ourselves. It was really interesting to hear what people saw in one another, especially since I had just met everybody and didn’t know too much about their spiritual character just yet. It seems that everyone there is really invested in one another’s lives and genuinely cares for one another, which is a blessing to see in a church.

I then drove out with a group of people to the Visegrad lookout point again, just to get another taste of all the beauty. Then we headed back for lunch before leaving. On the way back we stopped at the basilica in Esztergom which is  the largest church in Hungary. It was so, so beautiful inside, and they were even having an organ practice inside, so that definitely added to the atmosphere.

 

 

Esztergom Basilica

Outside the basilica

Highest ceiling in the basilica. So beautiful

Inside the basilica. Photos cannot do justice to the beauty of this church

Notice the skull at the bottom. Cute, no?

View of Esztergom from the hill where the basilica sits

Another view of Esztergom

Overall, it was a really great weekend. Not only did I get to experience Hungary for the first time, but I got to spend it with a new group of friends. Everyone was so welcoming and inviting.  Even though I was a brand new friend to them, they were all eager to get to know me, as I was eager to get to know them, and that made the weekend both fun and easy.

Week One in Bratislava, or: IKEA is Pretty Much the Only Thing I Recognize

Well it’s been one week since I’ve been in Bratislava, and it’s been quite the experience.

After arriving last week, I spent most of my first day unpacking and sleeping. The six hour  time difference from home to Slovakia was really hard to get used to in the beginning. But thankfully, since I hadn’t slept much in the past 30 or so hours, it was easy for me to sleep and nap the first couple days.

On Saturday, I went to another city, Senec, for a one-day retreat with the staff of the organization I’m interning with. It was a little overwhelming at first meeting everyone and trying to figure out who actually worked with the organization and who were just family members. I also got to meet Don and Ruthann, an older missionary couple who are currently serving in Bratislava with the International Baptist Church. We had a sermon, lunch time, and then headed to an aquapark for a few hours. The aquapark was really fun and really relaxing at the same time. Most of the pools were thermal pools, which is definitely different than in the States, but it was nice because I was so tired and sore from the past few days. There were also a good number of water slides, so I took full advantage of those After the aquapark we headed back to the retreat center for dinner-Hungarian goulash-which wasn’t exactly my favorite, but it was nice to try something new! That night, as we headed back to Bratislava, I watched the sun set over the ‘little’ Carpathian mountains, and thanked God for bringing me here. Even though I was still tired and overwhelmed by all I was seeing and experiencing, it was a nice moment and I could definitely feel God there with me.

On Sunday I went to the International Baptist Church with Frank and Alenka (my hosts/colleagues), and got to meet a lot of their friends there. Everyone was very welcoming, kind, and interested in getting to know me, which was really nice. After church we went to lunch behind the presidential palace at a restaurant called Divny Janko which translates to “Strange John.” Then Alenka and her friend Marjenka took me around Bratislava for an unofficial tour!

First, we walked through the old town of Bratislava and into St. Martin’s cathedral. It was very beautiful and quiet inside the church, and the outside was quite beautiful as well. The church was next to what used to be a large synagogue in the city. That synagogue was torn down to allow for the building of a contemporary bridge/highway. A memorial to the synagogue, as well as a memorial to victims of the Holocaust now sit where the synagogue once stood.

St. Martin's Cathedral

St. Martin’s Cathedral

Holocaust/synagogue memorial

We then climbed hundreds of steps and hills to see the Bratislava Castle. The castle has been around, in one form or another, since the Middle Ages, and the way it stands now is a restoration that was done in the 1950s after it was put on fire and began deteriorating in the 1800s. In trying to preserve some of the ‘old aspects’ of the church, there still remains some windows and different design elements that showcase what the castle looked like in different periods of time. It is kind of strange but in a fun, quirky kind of way.

Just a few of the steps that lead up to Bratislava castle

Bratislava Castle

Bratislava Castle

The climb to the top also provides a good view of the Danube river and the stretch of the city down below. From the top you can also see across the border to Austria.

Danube River looking toward Austria

Looking down on the Danube and Bratislava

Bratislava

We then walked down to the old town where we had ice cream at Luculus. I got a combo of chocolate, cookies, and coffee ice cream. It was quite delicious It had a slightly different taste than ice cream in the States but it was good nonetheless!

Marjenka and Alenka

After our ice cream break we went to the main square where we saw the Bratislava town hall, along with several embassies/schools/libraries/important buildings There was a cool fountain, a funny statue of Napoleon, and people moving around and about the whole area. We also stopped by the beautiful opera house and philharmonic house.

Old town Bratislava

Old town Bratislava

Old town Bratislava

Town hall in Bratislava

Hans Christian Anderson statue

I love the couple on the bottom right

The peeper!

Opera house

We then went back down by the Danube for a Jewish band concert which was really interesting. There were two big bands, as well as a Jewish rabbi who sang.  Of course, I couldn’t understand anything other than “Mozel tov”, but it was really interesting and fun. It was fun to see people dancing and singing to the music all around us.

Jewish band

On Monday, I began my internship with TWR-Europe. Every morning the group starts with a time of devotion and prayer, so that’s been a very refreshing way to start the work day. My main focus will be on editing publications (letters, notices, newsletters, press releases, etc) for English grammar (as most of the people working with TWR-Europe are not native English speakers), helping develop content for a brochure, and assisting in social media aspects of the dept (blogging, Facebook-ing, etc). I am really excited to be doing this kind of work and to be a small part of God’s greater plan for this organization.

On Monday evening Alenka and I went to the nearest shopping mall so I could purchase some necessary products that I didn’t bring along with me-shampoo, contact solution, etc. It was interesting to see how many of the products were completely different than they are in the States, while some were exactly the same brand-Garnier Fructis, Dove, L’Oreal, etc. I was trying to orient myself with the products as well and to try to figure out what was what. I also got my photo taken at a Kodak store for a bus pass which we went downtown to buy on Tuesday. I can now freely move about Bratislava on my own–that is, of course, once I figure out the bus/tram/trolley system a little better

On Wednesday Frank, Alenka, Phillip (a colleague from the Vienna office), and I went to IKEA for lunch, as there is an IKEA close by in the city. It was really weird to just walk into IKEA, have lunch, and leave, mainly because the IKEA closest to me at home is over an hour’s drive away, so it’s not every day that we go. The IKEA was pretty familiar, and though the food was a little different, it made me feel a little more comfortable because it was more familiar to me than anywhere else I’d been in Bratislava.

Wednesday night Alenka and I went to the bigger shopping mall and had a good time exploring the shops and checking out the sales. It was really interesting to check out Slovak fashion Most of the accessories and basic clothing items were pretty much the same as American fashion, but there were some differences. They seem to be much more into combat/industrial style boots (for fashion) than we are, and they definitely love their graphic tees. Haha. We went into a bookstore in the mall too which was really interesting. There were a few titles in English but most were in Slovak or Hungarian. I even found some Harry Potter books in both languages! After some shopping (more like browsing) we went outside and sat by the Danube and talked for awhile. It was a really good ending to the evening

Harry Potter books in Slovak!

Thursday night after work Frank and Alenka hosted a Bible study at their home for the International Baptist Church which was really nice. We talked more about the sermon from Sunday (about heaven) and got to share prayer requests with one another which was very enriching.

Overall, my first week in Slovakia has been great! I’ve definitely experienced some culture shock as many, many things are different here than in the States, but I am definitely learning a lot from all I see/hear/taste/experience. I look forward to the next 11 weeks of my time here and can’t wait to see what God has next

The Long Journey to Bratislava, or: That One Time I Met David Beckham

Well friends, let me tell you how I got here!

I woke up on Thursday morning, Sept 22, around 5am, after getting about two hours of sleep (a combination of texting some friends and anxiousness kept me awake). I got ready and triple checked my luggage one last time to make sure everything was where it needed to be and, more importantly, that I had everything. If you know me or have traveled with me, you know that I get a little worried about forgetting things. No matter where I’m going or what I’m doing, I’m constantly checking for my belongings. Can you say paranoid?

Anyway, we made it to the airport, managed to get my luggage checked just fine, and after a tearful goodbye, I went through security. After I went through the body scanner the security guard radioed something to the next security guard who made me step aside so she could check “the band on my arm.” Yes, my hair tie. Gotta make sure it’s not some kind of weapon I guess. Hah.

After sorting all my belongings post-security I walked by the Starbucks, contemplating inside my head whether or not I should stop in for a frapuccino. I decided to, and when I got in line I noticed a tall, slim guy in front of me. I probably wouldn’t have thought much of him except that his arms were completely covered in tattoos. Curious, I started looking them over. I also noticed a tattoo on the back of his neck, and as I was checking that out, said guy turned around, glanced at me, and smiled, like many people do when they’re in social situations like that. When he turned to me, I glanced up at him, smiled back and thought “Holy crap. Is that David Beckham?!?!?” Then I immediately thought “Nah…what would he be doing in Columbus?” And then my mind started swimming: “Oh wait, David Beckham DOES have tattoo sleeves on his arms….David Beckham DOES play soccer and Columbus DOES have professional soccer team…David Beckham would have a nice leather carry-on like that…David Beckham IS married (POSH!!!) and he IS wearing a wedding ring…David Beckham would make a plain grey t-shirt, skinny black jeans, and a knit hat completely 100% smokin’ hott…” And then, the moment of truth arrived. He ordered (a tall Americano, light on the water, and a slice of very berry coffee cake) and as his beautiful, English accent came flowing out of his mouth, my jaw dropped (metaphorically speaking, I mean, c’mon, I didn’t want to look like an idiot). It was him.

I watched him pay and generously put $5 in the tip jar (I mean, I guess he can afford it), and before he could slip away I gently touch his arm (yeah, be jealous), and said “Excuse me. I don’t want to bother you, but, are you David Beckham?” and he just smiled and said “Yeah, I am” to which I blurted out “OhmygoshwowmybrotherRyanisahugefan.” Not “OhmygoshwowI’mahugefan.” Haha. I mean, yes, he’s a great soccer player and is very attractive, but I’ve never professed to be the biggest soccer fan in the world. I then said “Yeah, my brother’s played soccer since he was a kid and is a big fan of…your teams” (because I clearly wasn’t about to remember the name of his UK orUS team). He just smiled and said “Wow, thank you. That’s very kind. What’s your name?” and I said “Aubrey” to which he said “Well it was nice to meet you Aubrey, have a good flight”, flashed his million-dollar smile and grabbed his coffee. I said “Thanks, enjoy the coffee” and he just smiled, said thanks, and walked away.

I just kept smiling as I ordered my coffee, while the middle-aged lady behind me GRABBED ME, and said “Was that David Beckham?” After confirming it, she said “Oh my gosh! I thought so! He’s so attractive!” The girl waiting on us said “Who is he?” and we told her his name and profession and she said “I’ve never heard of him. I was wondering why he had such a weird accent.” Maybe it’s just me, but I’d think, working in an airport, you’d hear much weirder accents than a British one. Haha.

Anyway, the first thing I did when I left the Starbucks was call my brother, since he’s the true Becks fan between us. The first thing I said was “You have to believe me when I tell you what I’m about to tell you, because it’s the truth.” Haha. He couldn’t believe it, but later texted me that Beck’s team was playing inColumbusthat weekend. That explained it. It was quite the crazy experience. And no, I didn’t get an autograph or photo, because, I honestly didn’t want to bother him too much, and it was clear he wasn’t really interested in having a meet-and-greet session with all the people in the Columbus airport, haha. 

After my run in with Becks, I headed to my gate where I had a good two hour wait at that point. My light ended up being delayed by 40 minutes, and when it finally arrived, it was not what I was expecting. It was an express flight toToronto, and it was the tiniest plane I’ve ever been in. Like, 20 seats tiny. We even had to climb up the little stairs to get into it like you see politicians/celebrities/David Beckham do  

When I got to my seat, there was a man in it who asked me if I’d like to trade him the aisle seat for the window seat. Heck yes, I would. After settling in and taking off he and I began talking. I found out that his name was Hilechm, he was a native ofAlgiers, North Africa, grew up French speaking (I knew I’d heard an accent), and was now returning toAlgiersto visit his family whom he hadn’t seen in 7 years. When I asked what brought him to theUShe said he came there for love. He’d met his wife online in 2002, back when that was still considered scandalous, and, after getting a job in the US, he moved there to start that job and marry his now wife. We spoke for most of the hour and a half flight and he and I even walked off the plane and over to customs together inside the airport (which is quite a hike as theTorontoairport is very big). When we got to customs and parted ways we wished each other luck on our journeys and said goodbye. His whole story was very endearing and sweet and it was really nice getting to know him. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories.

I then had a 5 hour layover in theTorontoairport, which I don’t mind too much considering I love people-watching and airports are a feeding ground for people-watching. I had lunch and got my change back in Canadian currency (definitely forgot they were on a different currency), browsed around some souvenir shops (maple leaves everrrrrrrrrrrrywhere you look), and spent some time relaxing (translation: trying not to doze off at every possible moment).

Thankfully on the Austrian Airlines flight I had an aisle seat. I was next to a man who didn’t speak English (I honestly have no idea what language it was that he actually spoke), but we communicated mainly through hand motions and smiles and nods. I even gave him my cream and sugar when he got coffee and I didn’t. I secretly nicknamed him “Cars” because he watched that movie 3 times in a row on the flight. I even gestured to him to show him how he could change the channel on it, but he kept coming back to “Cars”, haha.

The flight, overall, wasn’t the best but wasn’t the worst I’ve ever been on. The meals were fine and the on-air entertainment was decent enough (I watched an old episode of “The Office” and “Little Miss Sunshine”), but I had a really hard time trying to sleep. I think sleeping on planes just is something I’ll never be able to master. I even took some drowsy medication to try to knock me out, but, alas, it didn’t work.

When the plane finally landed I was anxious to get up and get out. When I got out of the gate into the airport inVienna, I was completely overwhelmed. As soon as I stepped through the doors I was in the midst of chaos, so I quickly started following the signs that said “Exit Vienna.” Eventually, I made it to customs to get my passport stamped, and then through to baggage claim to find my suitcase which had made it safely!

Once I made it out of baggage claim my host/colleague Frank found me, and we made our way toBratislava! And since this is the longest blog I’ve written about flying, I’ll go ahead and stop there  

And now, the only photos I took during the journey. How unlike me

Last pic with my Mama

Airport meal. Exciting stuff. Can you guys handle it?

Cinq dollars

Ten days and counting!

In just ten days I’ll be on my way to Eastern Europe for an internship in communications with a global missions organization! I am extremely excited to begin this journey! 

I feel like I have so many things to do before then! I need to purchase some important things, make sure I am squared away with things from home-credit cards, prescriptions, bills, etc., finish editing a script, put in one more week of work in my customer service job, and squeeze in time with friends and my mom. I am definitely feeling overwhelmed right now, but I think I’ll be able to breathe once I am on the plane, headed overseas. Okay, if I’m being honest, I’ll be able to breathe once that plane lands, as I am not the biggest fan of flying. I love airports, the takeoff, and landing, but sometimes I get a little anxious on planes. 

If you’d like to pray for me right now, you can definitely pray for a sense of calm and peace during the next ten days as I prepare to leave. You can also pray for me ten days from now as I take off for Europe on some big jet planes. 

Hopefully I’ll get a chance to update before my big adventure begins!

From Ohio,

Aubrey