What Language Am I Even Speaking?

Believe it or not, daily communication is a necessary component to our lives. When I am in America, I never truly realize how important our language is. Having everything in English and having everyone speak perfect English is something that I take for granted in Nebraska. In the past 7 weeks, I have had to deal with Italian, Czech, Polish, German, and Hungarian. Thankfully, Europeans are more educated than Americans, and most can speak at least some English. 

It was a bit of a culture shock when we landed in Rome and saw mostly Italian everywhere. It wasn't something that I had really thought about or anticipated. We quickly learned our survival vocabulary, buon giorno means hello, grazie means thank you, and vino means wine. However, as I begin to travel more, I have learned my lesson and I try to go to new countries with this survival vocabulary already down (or I just download the language in Google Translate). 

I swear that right next to this said "Benvenuti a Roma", but we took a picture with the English version

Living in Olomouc has definitely been the largest language barrier. When we travel for our weekends, we usually go to more touristy destinations and the locals are accustomed to dumb Americans and speak English rather well. However, Olomouc is not very touristy and is significantly smaller. I have, many times, walked into shops or restaurants and immediately have to apologize because I don't speak Czech, and they don't speak any English. When we order our food at restaurants, we have adopted a "point and smile" technique where we choose something random off the menu and point at it and flash a smile at our Czech waiter. 

Learning the Czech language has been quite the experience for our group. We have language class about twice a week where our professor tried her very hardest to get some Czech to stick. So far, we have learned how to count to ten, how to order food (very basics at least), and basic greetings and pleasantries. In addition to learning vocabulary, we also have to learn how to pronounce each individual word. The Czech language doesn't use the Latin alphabet. There are a few letters that have special accents that changes the pronunciation of the letter. It's been quite the experience and I feel like I'm becoming at least a little more cultured. 

This is the Czech alphabet. The letters in pink are the unique ones that change pronunciation.

One major place that I really notice the language barriers is when I attend mass. Yes, Catholic mass is the same everywhere, but I still find myself saying the wrong responses at times and not following along as well as I should be. I try to look up the readings before I go so that I might have a chance during mass. However, I generally find myself spacing off during homilies because I simply can't follow. I didn't realize that I would miss English mass so much. 

One break that we got was when we went to the United Kingdom for spring break. It was refreshing to see signs and menus all in English. I even got to attend an Irish mass and witnessed a first communion in English. It was very difficult for us to come back and have to drastically slow our speech and go back to being the "dumb Americans". However, just the little break from a language barrier did us well and we were very grateful for our native vocabulary. 

"There are no language barriers when you are smiling" ~Allen Klein

4 Countries, 3 Girls, 2 Weeks, 1 Adventure

At one point in my life, my mom told me, "You are where you are, and if not, you are somewhere else". In essence, I think she was telling me to simply enjoy my surroundings and to just be present, no matter where I am. Every place that we go is new to me. Everything that I get to experience is a new undertaking in my life. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of emotion, laughter, reflection, and above all, adventure.

Vienna, Austria

Vienna had a sense of class to it that I have never experience before. I felt under-dressed for the entire city. Everybody seemed so elegant and to seem to have a purpose when going somewhere. There was always somewhere to be and something to do. The streets were mixed with locals and tourist alike, shopping and enjoying life. We, fortunately, had beautiful weather so there was time for us to just sit out and admire the tulips and people watch. My favorite thing that we saw was National History and Science Museum. It had a giant display of rocks from around the world (including one from Nebraska!), as well as a planetarium and fossils. I really enjoyed my (limited) time in Vienna and I hope that I will be able to make it back eventually to explore more and to see what the rest of the city is really like.

Sami and I being sassy at the Museum of History and Science

Venice, Italy

From Vienna, we took a six hour bus ride through the Alps to Venice. The views that we saw from inside our bus were phenomenal. It was a perfect time for me to listen to my music and just admire the beauty that was before me. I have driven through the Rockies numerous times, however, the majesty of the Alps can not be compared to our American mountain range. Once we finally got to Italy, we had to cross the canal to get to the island of Venice. I had never really thought that I wanted to see Venice, however, after I have experienced it I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. Every turn was a new sight to see and a new piece of the canal to look at. It was extremely easy to get lost (which we did...several times). However, it was interesting to see a city that was once one of the most important trading hubs in the Adriatic Sea. Everything had to be transported by boat or carts. The sheer work that it would have taken to build such fantastic buildings is unparalleled.

Beautiful day in Venice with beautiful people

London, England

One of our main points of interest over spring break was London. London was severely overwhelming and different from anything that I have ever discerned. There was no stopping in London. People everywhere, going everywhere, doing everything. From the tube, to the buses, to the main tourist attractions, there were people everywhere. However, we jumped right into the flow of people and saw a lot. We did a famous "Hop On Hop Off" tour through the city and got to see the Tower of London, Big Ben, the London Eye, and much more throughout the course of a day. In addition we also got to see three shows on the West End (Brianna had a big influence in this :)). They were "a phenomenon and phenomenal". My favorite thing that we got to see in London, however, was Shakespeare's Globe. Because their season is opening soon, we actually got to sit in on a rehearsal of A Midsummer Night's Dream. It brought back my acting past and playing Hermia in Blair's very own auditorium. But, after three days of seeing London and taking the Tube everywhere, I was most definitely ready to take on Ireland next.

Globe theater

Dublin, Ireland

Our flight left at 1:10, so we got up pretty early to give ourselves enough time to get to the Stansted airport, check in, and go through security. To get to the "off shore" airport, we had to take a train. But, go figure, the overhead rails were down that morning. So, we had to take a roundabout way to get to make our flight. Because the one train station was down, it backed up the entire public transport system (a supply chain and logistic nightmare). So, long story short, we missed our flight. Ryanair did not have a flight for all three of us to make it to Dublin, so we had to split up. I took a late flight that night and left Sami and Brianna to spend another night in London. When I finally got to Ireland, everything immediately started working out. It helped that all signs were in English and there was no language barrier, but I effectively made it to the hotel and then met up with Megan, Kassidy, and Holly for a Guinness and some dinner. Looking back on the day, it was easy for us to get frustrated and annoyed, but in all reality, there was no reason for us to feel that way. Everything works out in the end, and it did. By the end of the day I was happy, optimistic about Ireland, and ready to start the next day. Two highlights from Dublin were the Guinness factory where I fell in love with the hoppy beer full of flavor and happiness and the Cliffs of Moher. We took a tour to see the cliffs and I couldn't help but fall in love with the country. There is so much to see and appreciate in the country of Ireland and I was disappointed that I couldn't see more of it. We truly saw all 40 shades of green that the Irish countryside had to offer while listening to the tour guide who was the funniest person I have ever talked to. Ireland has my heart and I can actually see myself living there. I am extremely proud to call myself Irish. 

Guinness factory. I'm in love. 

Cliffs of Moher from below. Pristine weather for an immaculate sight.

The past two weeks have been full of life and have definitely added to my story that I have been writing. So much more happened than what I can portray in this short post, and I can't relay all the feelings and moments that I have lived. I know that this world has so much to offer and my study abroad experience has already showed me that I live in a box when I am in Nebraska. I am excited to see what the next chapter of this global endeavor will bring. 


"I'm an empty page, I'm an open book. Write Your story on my heart come on and make Your mark. Author of my hope, make of the starts. Let me be Your work of art, won't you write Your story on my heart."~Francesca Battistelli

Heavy Hearts and Opened Minds

When we got our updated itinerary as we arrived for our study abroad program, I was a bit upset and frustrated when I saw that one of our free weekends was replaced with a field trip to Auschwitz. Originally, we were supposed to visit the infamous concentration camp along with our trip to Krakow, Poland. However, after experiencing Auschwitz-Birkenau first hand, I am extremely grateful that we made it a separate trip. Visiting Auschwitz was an experience that made my heart heavy and hurt me in a way that I didn't know was possible. 

We first arrived in a bus on a gloomy Saturday afternoon. The weather of the day just added to the monstrosities that we were about to experience. The rain brought about a certain contemplative emotion and a feeling that made my spirits drop even further. At first, the camp looked like a tourist trap. There were moms with fanny packs and countless people with cameras, backpacks, and umbrellas. There was a lack in reverence that I expected from everyone. However, the mood completely flipped when we got through security and started walking the path that countless before would never walk again. 

As we started our tour, the first wave of emotion hit me when I saw a simple picture of Hungarian Jews being transported to the camp. Those were real people, with real livelihoods, and real feelings. In the picture, there were men, women, children who would never again have the opportunity to live. The sheer variety in emotions was something that hurt me. There was anger, sadness, confusion in every face that I saw. Mothers clinging to their babies, strangers holding each other for support. And, on top of being herded to their destiny, they had to "pose" for a picture that a Nazi had the audacity of taking. 

The next big thing that brought my heart down to another level was the "hair room". After mass exterminations, the soldiers would take the bodies and cut off women's hair to make cloth and other various amenities out of. I could barely walk into the room. I noticed that a lot of the girls that came on our trip starting to hold their hair or touch their head. It is incredibly demoralizing to take a woman's hair. It was just one of the last strikes of power that the Nazi's took advantage of. My stomach churned and my soul was crushed just to see such an atrocious sight. 

Unfortunately, we could not take photographs in this room. Picture courtesy of  LeafPile

Throughout the trip, I kept thinking, "How could anybody, morally or physically, put another human life through this kind of torture?". Maybe the German soldiers thought that they were truly the right thing. It's easy for me to jump to conclusions about each militant, but the truth is, we don't know their lives either. Maybe they had to work at the camp to save their own family. Perhaps they were a part of an "underground railroad" to help the prisoners. I can't know, and because of that, I try not to judge. The Holocaust happened. I don't know why, but I will not question why God chose to "let it happen". It is a very important part of the world's history and it needs to be remembered so that future generations can truly see what one man is capable of doing. I have to try to side with the famous quote that Anne Frank leaves us with, "Despite everything that has happened, I still believe that people are good at heart...".

~"I'm tired, I'm worn. My heart is heavy; from the work it takes to keep on breathing. I've made mistakes, I've let my hope fail. My soul feels crushed by the weight of this world. But I know that You will give me rest, so I cry out with all that I have left."~ Mike Donehey (Tenth Avenue North)

From Country to Country; from Culture to Culture.

One of the many things that I am learning to appreciate about Europe is that you can travel a very short distance, and end up in a brand new culture. The language changes, the currency changes, and the feeling that the city protrudes entirely changes. In my three and a half weeks that I have been here, I have seen three completely different ways of life, and I have only traveled 1,724 kilometers. 

Starting with Rome, it seems as if Italians are very fast paced. Everything was go, go, go. We never stopped during our days, but then at night it felt as is life was in slow motion. We didn't eat dinner until 9pm or 10pm everyday, had a glass of wine, and then stayed up until midnight or so. Then we would get up and do it all again. Every shop and restaurant that we passed by always had people in them and the owners would stand outside and want you to come in. The currency in Italy is the euro, which is approximately 1.14 dollars. It was very easy for us to convert quickly in our heads and figure out how much we were spending for our lunch. Food in Italy was always carbs. If we didn't have a giant linguine dish, we were eating pizza. And we always had to top it off with good Italian wine. 

Colosseum in Rome...it was raining.

From wine country, I went to the Czech Republic (duh). Life in Olomouc seems much simpler. As everyone has told me, Olomouc is most definitely a college town. The weekends are pretty quiet, but during the week, you can see almost every pub and cafe full of people studying or drinking (or both). Something that I've noticed here is that nobody seems happy when just walking down the street. Everything is black and white and there's really no spontaneity or joy during the day. However, if you put a pivo (beer) in a Czech's hand, they instantly light up and the problems fade and the smiles appear. Currency in the Czech Republic is the koruna (pronounced /crown/). The math is pretty easy here too (25 korunas is equal to 1 dollar). So we have bigger denominations of bills and it felt weird handing over a 50 koruna coin for a glass of wine, but we have gotten used to it. Food in the Czech is always very heavy. It seems as if everything is fried or soaked in grease. Schnitzel or fried cheese (or both) are both popular dishes. Wash it down with a beer, and you have a traditional Czech meal.

Olomouc with traditional food. Courtesy of Kassidy

And, finally, this weekend, we ventured to Budapest for a little getaway. We had some problems getting there with our train tickets, but nevertheless we made it! Throughout the trip, it seemed as if our group was not having any fun and just hated everything about the "City of Senses", but I really enjoyed my time there. Our hostel was very....different. But we powered through. It was called a party hostel, and I can see why. Lots of drinking and smoking, but I thought it was a unique experience that I will probably never get to do again. Budapest is most definitely a party town. If you don't want to sleep, this is the city for you. We got up and went to all the big attractions, and then the city lit up at night (both with lights and with drunk people). Everything in Hungary was centered around when you were going to eat next or when you were going to drink next. Food in Hungary was exquisite. We ate in the markets and had street food most of the time, but it was so good. I can see why Hungary is the third most obese nation now that I have had the chance to taste their cuisine. However, paying for our meal gave us a bit of a hassle sometimes. We changed currency, again, to the Hungarian forint. One dollar is equivalent to about 280 forints. We never really knew what was happening when we handed over 10,000 forints for a meal. However, we made it through, and I had a phenomenal time exploring Budapest.

Hungarian street food. It was essentially a savory doughnut with cheese and onions. 

Panorama of Budapest, from Fisherman's Bastion

So, from Italy, to the Czech Republic, to Hungary, life can change drastically. I noticed it in the people, the currency, the food, and more. I love that I get to see all of these beautiful things and see how people really live on the other side of the world. 

~Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your god is with you wherever you go~ Joshua 1:9