Wednesday, March 27, 2013

"I figure life's a gift, & I don't intend on wasting it..."

It is safe to say I have had one of the most inspiring, eye-opening, and motivational trips of my lifetime. And it all took place in Poland.

Yes, Poland. When I said I was spending my first few days of break in Poland many people asked me why. And to be honest, I was not exactly sure. Myself, and another friend tagged along with a friend of mine who was meeting some of her family in Poland for the first time! All we had really planned was to tour Auschwitz, but beyond that we did not really know what to expect.

Trains run through the middle
of the streets!
When we arrived Saturday night we were met by my friends cousin who happens to be our age! He was incredibly kind and we were also able to meet his girlfriend who ended up spending time with us on our trip as well! We went home to a beautiful home and met my friends grand aunt who was an incredibly sweet old lady who spoke no english. She greeted us warmly with many smiles although we weren't exactly sure what she was saying. That night we stayed up talking about some of the differences between Poland and the U.S and compared things to London as well! We also tried to learn some Polish terms, but it was not as easy as we thought. We also ended up skyping my friends family who still lives in the US. It was so inspiring to see her family be so proud of her for making the trip to Poland to meet her family. You could tell they were so happy for her to be in the country where her grandparents grew up.

The next day we woke up to a beautiful breakfast prepared for us! It was delicious and I believe that is when we started to realize we would be suffering from food comas throughout our entire stay in Poland. The family was extremely hospitable and there was always some sort of polish food around for us to try. After breakfast we headed to a little village called Tylmanowa. It was a wonderful sunny day which made the town itself look like a fake village you would see at Christmas time! All of the houses were colorful, and a beautiful river and mountains created the landscape all around them. We found a place to park and we started walking up a large hill. Once we got to the top, we found ourselves at a cute little house. It turns out that that house was the very house where my friends grandpa had grown up. Because there was no one living in there, we were able to go inside and look around. It was really cool for my friend to see all of that and she was so excited which was really inspring. It really made me want to figure out my family tree and pin points places I could see as well!

Mountain Cheese!
After that, we headed into a tourist village called Zakopane. There were many little shops that lined the streets and many people selling what was called mountain cheese. Of course, we had to try some. The best way I could explain how it tasted, is to compare it to string cheese. It tasted much like that, but smoked. We stopped at some street venders and got some postcards and some other touristy stuff. Then decided it was time to go inside and warm up. It was so cold that when we walked into a restaurant and ordered coffee, they were only able to get us tea, because the pipes were frozen and they couldn't make anything else. After we walked around a bit more we headed into another restaurant to try some traditional polish food. My friends ordered pierogi's and I ordered a different dish which I can not recall the name of. It was all very good and very polish considering we couldn't read the menus and my friends cousin had to order for us.

Polish Pierogi's!
After we ate, we headed to some mountains and a tram that would take us up to the top where another little village of tourist shops were located.

Once we were on top of the mountains the view was spectacular. We spent the time taking pictures and soaking up all the gorgeous scenery around us. After our memory cards were full of images of mountain tops we headed back down the mountain and headed home. On the way back we stopped at a little shop to try out some Polish chocolate. We all got different kinds and tried each others. One of my friends immediately made a face once she tried a creme filled chocolate. We all tried it and immediately regretted it. It had a really strong taste and we kept trying to guess what flavor it could be. Finally after searching the wrapper we found a sentence in English stating 'this chocolate bar contains alcohol'. We laughed about it for a long time and so did my friends family.

trying to create a CMU mountain picture!
That night we hung out at the house and talked more about Poland and the U.S. Although I have been to Paris where there were many people who did not speak English, I felt as though I was having a much harder time understanding people, and finding people that understood me, in Poland. When I was in Paris, I was with a tour group with other study abroad students that knew English. And although I was with my 2 friends who speak English, and my friends cousin who also knew some English, it was a very different experience in Poland. It really made me realize how much I wish I would have learned other languages. It is very interesting how in many places people are required to know English, (such as schools in Poland) but there are many many students in America who don't fully know another language, myself included.
Polish Menu!

The next day we got up and headed to Auschwitz. There is not much I can say about that day besides I believe my whole view on life has changed because of it, and everyday I am on this earth I will try my hardest to not complain about anything ever again. I know as students, we learn a lot about the holocaust in school, and we maybe even visit a museum, or watch movies and read documentaries. But until you walk where they walked, and hear the stories from that camp, and until you walk through the barracks and see how they lived, and until you walk through one of the gas chambers where women and children were sent, you have no idea what the holocaust meant. It was the most eye-opening, and terrifying experience of my life. Although some people in the tour took pictures, I did not feel comfortable doing so. So you will have to trust my word. I am very glad I went, but nothing will ever be able to erase the images of what I saw as I walked through Auschwitz and Birkenau.

This water was so salty, that if you were
to jump in, you could would only float
and not go below the surface.
To lighten the mood that night we decided to go out for some pizza. We ended up at this little restaurant called I Love Pizza and it was completely American themed. The walls were decorated with license plates from the states (sadly Michigan didn't make the cut) and other funny signs in English. The TV was playing MTV and while we were there we were able to hear some Taylor Swift and other American artists. One thing my friends and I have noticed, is that no matter where you go, American music is playing! Even when people do not speak English there is guaranteed to be a Taylor Swift or Justin Beiber song playing on the radio or television. We ate our pizza (with polish sausage, cucumbers (?)), and some other interesting ingredients, and then headed back to get some rest.

There were even Chandeliers made
completely out of salt!
On our last day we headed to a town called Wieliczka to tour some salt mines. We walked down hundreds of steps and walked through the salt tunnels. We saw many different sculptures made entirely of salt and even tasted some of the saltiest water ever. It was really interesting to learn about what miners did to survive the long days. There were many Chapels built underground in the mines which I also found to be very interesting.

After we were done exploring underground, we headed back to the surface and toured Krakow. We went to Krakow Square which is the largest village square in Europe! It was filled with vendors selling knick-knacks, mountain cheese, souvenirs, polish sausages, and just about everything in between. It was also a little bit chilly that day so we ducked in and out of buildings whenever we could. We went into a beautiful church and came face to face with a language barrier issue. My friend and I were walking around taking pictures when suddenly a worker came over and started speaking to us in Polish. She was pointing to my camera and had a very serious look on her face so I figured that photography was not allowed. But as I looked at my friend I found her standing in front of us still snapping photographs! Because we didn't understand what she was saying we couldn't tell she had been talking to us! I would say she wasn't incredibly happy with us after that incident.
a view of Krakow Square

After we toured the Square some more we went to the Wawel Royal Castle. We were able to walk around it and there was an amazing deck on the back where we had a beautiful view of Krakow and the Vistula river. Again we spent time taking many pictures and being tourists, and of course asking my friends cousin how to say different things in Polish. We again went out and got our fill of Polish food and then headed home to pack, so we could be ready to leave early the next morning.

Polish 'fast food'
(much better than the U.S!)
Overall the trip to Poland was beyond great and we had so much fun! When we were saying our goodbyes we even found out that they are hoping we come back again soon, which is always nice to hear. We had a great time getting to know family and exploring Poland, where we had come with no expectations. The entire trip was eye opening in a way I cannot fully explain. Seeing long lost connections being made, being submerged into completely foreign surroundings, and learning so much about such a world changing event was all incredibly inspiring.

When we were touring the castle, and overlooking the river, I went to a spot on the fence and reenacted the famous titanic scene. My friends laughed and snapped a photo, and some nearby tourists giggled and started singing the song. Although the moment was funny, it was memorable because after thinking of the Titanic I had a quote stuck in my head the whole time. It is a quote that all titanic fans, and especially Leonardo DiCarprio fans, love and as cheesy as it may sound, I believe it sums up a lot about what I learned during this trip. It is always good to have a reminder on how precious life truly is.

"I figure life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. 
You never know what hand you're gonna get dealt next. 
You learn to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count"

-Jack Dawson (The Titanic)

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Defying Gravity

It is hard to believe that I have not posted for 2 weeks. The time keeps flying by faster and faster and it is very hard to believe I have already been here for 60 days.

I was able to catch a break on a sunny day last
week and read a book along the river
School these past 2 weeks has been quite busy. Most modules (classes) have one big assignment due either at the end of this week, or right when we come back from holiday break, which starts this weekend and is 3 weeks long. So many students, including myself, have spent many hours in the library and finishing odds and ends so it is possible to have a worry free break! I will say I am beginning to enjoy my classes here more and more. In two of them, the major component of our grade relies on a group project, and it has been fun to work with a groups of students with completely different backgrounds than mine. I feel like I have learned so much.

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to see Wicked in the West End (area known for theatre) of London! It was my second time seeing Wicked, but seeing it again was even more magical than the first time. A group of friends and I went to dinner, had some 'American pizza', then went to the show, and then ended the night on a rooftop of a shopping center near central London. A friend had told us to check it out because of the beautiful view of the city. I will say that seeing city lights at night is one of my most favorite things. So being on a rooftop in the middle of London looking across a sea of sparkling city lights was just as magical as hearing 'Defying Gravity' live for the second time. It was quite an amazing night.

For St. Patricks Day weekend, a few friends and I decided last minute to take a trip to Brighton! It is a beautiful city on the coast and about an hour train trip away. We stayed at a hostel, which happened to be my first one. I was surprised by how pleasant the hostel actually was! We stayed in a room with about 10 other people, all in bunk beds. The employees were very nice and helpful and it was a very comfortable stay. When we got there we went out and explored some of the night life. On St. Patricks day we walked the cobblestone streets, stopping in shops and pubs when whenever we felt like it. The weather was quite rainy and cold and even was hailing at one point. But that did not stop us from having a wonderful time in Brighton. I really look forward to going back when the weather is nicer so I won't have to be so bundled up when walking on the pier and beautiful shoreline.

The shore line in Brighton
Last night, our British Life & Culture class took a trip to the National Theatre in London. The National Theatre shows on many different performances. We saw a play called 'This House'. It was a political play about MP's in Parliament. Although I will say that most of it was over my head, because of my lack of knowledge of the history of Parliament, it was still enjoyable and just overall a very cool experience.




Tomorrow, I have one more lecture, and then it will be no classes for 3 weeks! I am very excited for this break. On Saturday a couple friends and I leave for Poland and I won't be back until Wednesday. We plan on touring Auschwitz and touring some of the famous salt mines.

Today, while I was talking to a classmate, I was asked if I was glad I came to Kingston, and if there was anything I would have done differently. That question really got me thinking, because if there was anything I would do differently, it would have been to chose the year long option instead of the semester long option. I can not even begin to explain what an incredible experience this has been. Although I miss CMU very much, It is hard to imagine leaving here.

With all my heart, I will tell anyone who is even thinking about studying abroad, to follow through and do it. It will be the best decision you have ever made; guaranteed.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Bonjour Paris!

I can now officially say that I have completed my #1 on my bucket list; See the Eiffel Tower sparkling at night.

I will say it was a rough start to the weekend when I found myself sprinting to the train station in the rain at 5am on Friday morning, but needless to say, the weekend was well worth the surprise early workout in the rain that morning.

I signed up to go to Paris with a tour group. The weekend included a boat tour, 2 nights in a very nice hotel, the Eurostar tickets there and back, and of course a guide; who just happened to be the best tour guide I have ever had in my life, or maybe it was just the fact that he was French...

So anyway, Friday morning bright and early we were headed out on the Eurostar to Paris. It was about a 2 and a half hour train ride which wasn't bad at all, and when your ears started popping it was the sign that you were in the tunnel under the English Channel. On the train I recognized some other students from Kingston and met many more. I met a friend that I ended up spending most of my time in Paris with, and turned out she goes to GVSU and lives in a town not too far from my home town. Small world.
First Glimpse

Once we got there, we got on a coach and toured part of the city. Although at this point people were fading fast in the heated comfortable coach seats, I tried my hardest to stay awake. From the coach we caught a glimpse of the famous Thinking Man statue, some of the area that was being set up for fashion week, the Louvre, and many other famous sites. After awhile the coach came to a stop, and even the people who had been dozing off suddenly awoke at the site of the Eiffel tower right outside our window. We rushed off the coach and raced to the edge of the viewing site we were on in order to get a good look at the beautiful Eiffel Tower we have seen so many times in pictures and movies. Although it was a bit cold and foggy that day, it took nothing away from the tallest structure in Paris (equivalent to an 81 story building) right in front of us. The guide had to put us on a time limit so we wouldn't stay frozen with our jaws dropped staring and taking hundreds of pictures, and so we would be able to make it to the hotel in time for check in!

Crowding Mona Lisa
We slowly made our way back to the coach and headed for the hotel, and I knew soon I would find myself back in front of the Eiffel Tower. Our hotel was gorgeous and I was a bit surprised after hearing some stories of european hotels. It was very nice and the people were very friendly. We found our rooms and unpacked and were given free time until later that night when we were meeting for a walking tour and transportation to the Louvre. During our free time we found a bakery (which we ended up visiting countless times during the duration of our trip) and ate the best croissants and rolls we have ever had. We wandered the streets by our hotel and picked out a place to ear later that night.

We made our way to the Louvre with the tour guide which included our first ride on the metro (much like the tube in london, but MUCH smellier.) Very shortly we found ourselves in front of the Musee du Louvre, one of the largest museums in the world, and the most visited museum in the world. For a museum, it was truly an exciting place to be. The glass pyramids added a bit of modern architecture to the 12th century building that was used as a fortress. We soon found ourselves following signs pointing towards the Mona Lisa. Once we finally arrived in a room with a large crowd surrounding a small painting consuming a whole wall, we knew we were in the right place. As we made our way to the front to catch a good glimpse, it finally dawned on me. I was in Paris! At the most famous museum standing in front of the Mona Lisa! A piece of art I had heard so much about, and seen in so many books and pictures. But the real thing was right in front of me! It was a breath taking moment. After spending a few hours touring through the museum we saw other famous works of art such as the statue of Nike (Winged Victory), The Venus De Milo, and many, many others.

The Louvre at night
After we finally found the exit (or Sortie in french) we found ourselves facing a glittering object in the distance and looked at the time and knew it was the Eiffel Tower sparkling. The Eiffel Tower sparkles every hour at night. Although saying it sparkles might sound silly, it is truly what it does. It doesn't just light up, or blink on and off. It truly sparkles. We were both very excited to see it from a distance and decided to head in that direction. We walked along the Seine river and took in the beauty of Paris being all lit up around us. Our tour guide had explained to us that if Paris were a person, it would be one that wakes up and take hours to get ready and makes sure to be wearing even matching socks and underwear. It was quite a funny comparison and a true one at that. Every street, every building, is perfectly placed. The architecture matches and lights flood every street at night. It was a very well laid out city which makes it that much more eye appealing.

After a long walk through winding streets we arrived in front of it. I feel like I may or may not (in other words I do) overuse the word beautiful in all of my posts. But I swear to you, this was EASILY the most beautiful and incredible thing I have ever seen. I know many people think, 'yeah its a tall Iron tower...cool' But there is something about standing right in front of it, as it lights up the sky, that makes you never want to take your eyes off of it. We found a bench and sat there and waited for it to sparkle. We counted down the minutes and as it got closer we made sure our cameras were set and ready. But as soon as the sparkling started, my focus was far from being able to take my eyes off of it to find the record button on my camera. It was instantly breath taking and my heart felt so full at that moment in time. It is truly a feeling I will never be able to explain. I instantly went back to when I started writing my bucket list, and although I tried so hard not to, I had some doubt that maybe #1 on my list might not ever happen. But there I was, watching what I had been waiting for for so long and It was even better than I expected. I truly had the feeling of acomplishment. One dream fulfilled, and that moment has given me the motivation and determination to make sure I fulfill the rest.

After that moment, and soaking it all in, we decided that we would come back the next night. We slowly left, and kept looking over our shoulders trying to figure out if it was real or just a dream. After successfully figuring out the metro on our own and finding our way back, we headed towards the restaurant we had picked out earlier. It was a small place and the staff was friendly, but hardly knew any english. We found ourselves playing a big game of charades and ordering something random from the menu. It ended up being fried cheese (not to be confused with fondue) served with salad, potatoes and bread. It was SO good! After we were stuffed from our surprise meal we found our way to another little bakery and bought another popular french food; macaroons. We tried many different flavors and they too were delicious! After that we called it a night and headed back to the hotel to catch up on all the sleep we had missed from the early trip that morning.

The nextmorning, we went to breakfast served by the hotel and had probably way too many croissants and then headed out for a walking tour with our guide. We walked all throughout the city including the Notre Dome Cathedral. As we walked through the Cathedral and saw the many stain glass windows and the famous Rose Windows, it was easy to decide that the Cathedral was by far my most favorite church I had seen. The architecture of it all was completely stunning and I enjoyed listening to our tour guide spend time telling us what all the engravings meant on one of the doors to enter the Cathedral, and that was just ONE of the many doors and engravings. We walked around it as well and saw the many gargoyles sticking out every which way on the sides of the building. Some of them were truly scary looking, but I managed to find ones I thought looked the most like the ones from the Disney movie. Our tour guide also enlightened us with the story of how the gargoyles got their name which was quite funny.

Rose Window
After that, our tour guide led us to the river, where we boarded a boat for a tour along the Seine River. It was quite cold so we ended up sitting inside and taking pictures through the glass, but the sights were still amazing. We again saw many historical and famous buildings, including the restaurant that inspired the movie Ratatouille, and we caught a glimpse of the smallest house/building in France, which was only 2 small windows wide and looked much like a house made for Stuart Little.

Hair band I tied on for my love for Paris :)
After the boat tour, we made our way to what is known as the Latin Square for lunch. The Latin Square is full of little shops, restaurants, and bars, and is seen as the college area, or the area for the youth. We ate at a little Bistro our guide had recommended and again we were brave with what we ordered. I ended up with duck breast. But we also tried snail, which I will say I will never try again. After that we did some souvenir shopping and of course spent some time in a chocolate shop we found. We ate our chocolates and again walked along the river wandering through Paris. We found the love lock bridge during our wandering and stopped to listen to a small band performing some songs on the bridge. The bridge is filled with locks, some engraved, some painted on. Many had names, dates, initials, or notes on them. By putting a lock on the bridge and throwing the key in the river, you supposedly are showing your eternal love. It was definitely a sign that Paris is truly the city of love and romance.

Snails....
Then we went back to the hotel to drop off our purchases and headed out again to the Latin Square for dinner. It was interesting to walk around the area full of restaurants and bistros because almost every place had someone outside trying to convince you to come into their restaurant. It was a very pushy business, and the only comparison I could think of is when people want to sell you things in the middle of the mall. We finally decided to go into a restaurant where a guy offered us a free glass of wine. We decided on fondue and it was delicious! I had never had fondue before, so I really don't have anything to compare it too, but I would guess it was better than most. Again we spent the night exploring the Latin Square and wandering through the beautifully lit streets of Paris and again made our way to the Eiffel Tower to watch it shimmer and sparkle one last time. Seeing it sparkle still had as much of a breath taking effect on me as the first time. It was the perfect way to end the last night in Paris.

Notice how the road has NO LINES! Crazy drivers
On Sunday we woke up and checked out of our rooms and were given time to do some more exploring. We headed to the Arc De Triomphe and walked around the surrounding areas, stopping to watch some street performers. We then headed to the Moulin Rouge where we were supposed to meet our tour guide for another walking tour. It was this point that I really noticed how tough it was being in a country and not knowing the language. France was the first place I had traveled to with a language barrier for me, so I was very glad to be with a group. I was surprised by even all the signs I couldn't come close to understanding, let alone pronouncing. On Thursday before I left, my landlords granddaughter was over, and she was trying to teach some french but I couldn't seem to remember any of it (keep in mind she is only 6 and knew plenty). It made me wish I was more fluent in other languages.
Moulin Rouge

We met up with our tour guide and headed up a very large hill towards Montmarte, and Sacre Coure. We passed the street that Vincent Van Gogh lived on and some other famous landmarks. Once we finally reached the top we found ourselves in front of a beautiful church with an even more beautiful view of all of Paris. It was a little hazy that day but the view was still incredible.


We then explored the Artist Square, where many artists sat in front of their easels painting away; either of beautiful paris landscapes, or someone posing in front of them. After wandering down some more narrow, cobblestone streets of Paris we realized that we were nearing the end of our Parisian adventure and we headed back to the hotel to grab our things. On the way back we ate at a Quick (which is supposed to be equivalent to McDonald's; but I will say I prefer McDonald's)






Everyone was completely exhausted by the time we were back on the Eurostar and headed home. As we took the tube to the train station, and then finally the bus home, I had to keep looking at pictures to make sure that it really hadn't all been a dream.