Prague

Hallo there!

I have just returned from Prague. It was a great trip. I really enjoyed it, but what did you expect. haha
On friday we arrived around 2 pm after taking a 630 am train... wow that was early but it was fun. later on friday we found our hostel and then went to old town to look around. we then met up with some more guys and then went out to dinner to get a traditional czech food. it was great. later that night we went out to a four story disco. it was so fun, me and my friend holly we danced on the oldies floor because the songs were so fun ( like beatles, beachboys etc). on saturday we went on walking tour of the city and it was great. it was soo beautiful. there are pictures of me infront of the castles,this is a picture looking down on prague chruches, bridges(this wqas the charles bridge and i was rubbing the sign for the king that got thrown off the bridge for his reformation of the christian ways. when you rub it you can make a wish and then it is told you will come back to prague!!! ) , clocks ( there are five clocks in this one tower that tell the time different ways) soo much history in this city. here is my friend megan who feels rich because we got 2000 crowns from the atm. 1 dollar equals 21 crowns, or 1 euro equals 28 crowns. so it was crazy currency... haha here is me and lauren at night infront of the gorgeous church. it reminds me of a disney castle, except prettier.


i got kinda got a sore throat while i was there which was lame, but oh well i am feeling better now... i bought some cool gifts while i was there too! it was a good time, the people i went with all got along and there was not much drama.

Except we had to pay the subway checkers becasue we all had bought the wrong ticket. it was so sketchy. haha oh well you live you learn. we cant speak czech. haha


ok this week i am taking it easy and ED comes on friday! I am so excited we are going to berlin and we are staying with my flatmates aunt!! i am excited to see that city and to see him!!

Next week is our midterms week too! haha it should go fine... i am still picking up the language... i sometimes speak it in the flat and i can get around and read signs and papers and such. :)

how are you??

Dusseldorf

Why hello there everyone...


here are some pictures of a really fun weekend with my flatmates.

friday we made dinner and went to a bar
then saturday we (the girls) went shopping to find dresses for the partY!! and siteseeing around town!!! saturdaynight Jens (kathrin's boyfriend) had a party and then we went to the disco and a few more bars for the Karnival!! yay!! soo fun!
yahoo!!! haha


presentation tuesday. blah.

and my jaw has been really hurting, will try and go to the dentist soon. pray for me.


prag next weekend!! whoohoo

hmmm

EDIT: With pictures... :)

nothing too new and or exciting buttt.....

• I got an A on my German 1 final. whohoo. haha
• my presentation is next tuesday instead of thursday (thankfully its almost done. phew)
• i am bored in the computer lab waiting for class.
• its raining and the snow has melted. again. haha.
• i am looking for new rainboots
• i really want to ride my bike. haha
• my langauge partner is a model, if you want to see pictures of her let me know, i can give you her name to google. i love google
• Ed sent me my christmas/valentines/missyou package. he got me a goregous ring with our names engraved and our birthstones on it. soo amazing. here is the picture i promised....
  
• i am getting really annoyed with some of the americans. but they might be getting annoyed with me so i need some patience, pray for me.
  
• i tried the choir last night. it was not great, but i did not hate it. it was really good to sing and read music and create harmony. i did not realize how much i had missed it.. i have sung everday since the fourth grade and i have not once sang in college (unless worship songs count, but then i am not reading music i am just making up harmonies and melodies with chelsea. haha) but its great because i have once again no idea what they are saying when she give directions, atleast i know how to read music and can follow along easily, we sang in english anyways. haha i acctually think that litchfield's 7th grade choir is better... but at least its something for me to do. annndd (ps faustyna i sat next to your twin. well she is older so maybe not your twin but she could be your sister.)
• This morning was, duh, Valentines day, and this is what I woke up to. ed had sent me these gorgeous roses. ah he is the best.... i made my flatmates valentines and gave them chocolate, the germans dont really celebrate it... i just like showing people i care about them.....
  
• 

das is allice.

tschüs! :)

Schneee

Snow! Yay! lueneburg is goregous... and I think we might be getting all the snow and cold from the states...

This is the sight i see when i look out of my appartment window. goregous. anyways as of yesterday I have been here for a month (four weeks)

so i was going to do a reflection post of some cultural differences.... some of which are great. others drive me crazy.

1- the shops are only open until 6, you have to pay for a cart, bring your own bag, everyone rushes you and if you dont have the correct change they all huff and puff. I mean c'mon i really dont know that its going to be 7,56 euros. haha BUT i love how cheap the food in the super market is. and I love it because i am learning how to cook (nothing spectacular, but i am learning... haha)
2- the buses are wonderful. everyone rides them, they get you where you want to be quick. but they dont run after 8, which stinks but i mean i have to get my excersize somehow...
travel within europe is so convient. i want to take a train in the US when i get back, see if they are like the duestch bahn (trains)
3- no one smiles. and it drives me crazy because i am all about smiling, like if i dont know you, cool but i will smile at you and say hello or something here. i did that the first day here and i thought i was going to get spat on. everyone has a destination to go, and they dont want you to bother them with your smile. its really weird but now i have got the really mean look down. its really quite difficult for me. haha i have to pretend the day has been awful, when it hasnt at all.
4- their computers in the computer labs are so old, and the ones in the library they only have 4 you can type on BUT you cant print off those. you can only print off the ones that are read only computers. but if you print from the computer lab, its free. but if you print from the library its costs you. weird. and i got really frusterated with that the other day while trying to work on my project. now i have resorted to doing my work at home on my laptop. yay.
4- i love the open air markets and the fresh fruits and veggies. they are really great just to have a look around and see how people react to eachother
5- THE CHOCOLATE is amazing. i dont even like chocolate that much until i came here. i have no limited myself to once a day a piece becuase its so good and its soo cheap . ahh goodthing i walk everywhere... speaking of that i got a bike yesterday !!! whoohoo i will be a true Lueneburger... haha i wont be riding it anytime soon though with this snow.
6- no microwave. yeah. sad day.
7- people do not recognize lines, if you are even looking away for a milisecond. someone will cut you, and not think anything of it. and like if you are waiting in line for the bus, if you dont push ( i mean really push) your way on, you wont get on. i think i knocked over a little kid the other day, but its all in good germanish ways. or something haha

i think thats all i can think of . i have really enjoyed this month. it was hard at first because i did not have a routine but now i have one and some travel plans set up so its going to be great. as i have mentioned before my flatmates are awesome and i am so blessed to have such great ones. i cant wait to spend next weekend with them.

keep writing me, i LOVE the mail!!!

allison

....and Bremen

Here is the famous Bremen emblem. Bremen used to be the main American harbor after WW2, Also its a big port city
Above is this like moving wall, and at random times it rotates (the circled wall part) moves and sings and stuff. I didnt get to see it, becausei dont think it goes on saturdays, but it was really cool architecture.


Bremen is like a city state, like Hamburg and Berlin. Its the smallest of the three, But it is still really big. Here I am with the Famous Bremen Musicians. If you rub the donkey's hoofs its good luck... its like an old fairy tale!! :) Below is the Rathaus for Bremen. SO update on this week: I started taking workout classes, it is really great because they are all in german (of course) and i have not a clue whats going on, i just follow the person in front of me. haha but i think this one instructor was crazy and she kept yelling at me, but i did not have a clue. oh well.
classes: still going well, i dropped my anthropology class and now full fledged in my govt and politics class.. in three weeks i have to do a big presentation on German Chancellors and Presidents, I have started working on it now so i am not bogged down at the last minute. I also have to write a 15 page paper with that. blah. haha but thats not due until the end, but I want to get a start on it
my german: oh gosh, i sound awful when i try and read, but i will work with my flatmates and my language partner in reading alloud because blah-- and my french sticks in there and i get all mixed up. But my grades are really good, so i am happy. slowly it will come, i mean i have only been here for three week, WHAT! three weeks already?? time is flying by!!!

My travels are going to come up really fast!! Be excited to see pictures and stories from
Prague, Dusseldorf (going with my flatmates for a karnival!), Berlin (WITH ED!!!), Istanbul, and Vienna and Bavaria (for easter with my flatmate and her family!!) ahh i am excited and the time will really fly by!!

Today, was gorgeous when i returned to Lueneburg. It was chilly but sunny, and in germany, you have to take advantage of that sun, because you never know when you will see it again. So i took a walk by myself and grabbed a book and read by the river until the sun set. It was gorgeous just to sit, and be, and to relax and enjoy God's gorgeous land.

I am excited to see what God has planned for me this semester. I have no idea what I am doing here, but I am learning to lean on him. there is no one else to lean on while I am so far away from everyone I love. I am so thankfully for all the support that I have gotten from my family, grandparents and friends. It's really nice to receive comments, prayers, love, money, emails and letters.


I cant wait to see what this week brings...


German 1 ends this week so i have a big final and then a quiet weekend with this project! :)

Delmenhorst

Soo this weekend I traveled to Toledo's sister city. I had some contacts there, and it was a great time. They showed me Delmenhorst, I got a private tour of the Rathaus by the Mayor himself, and I got to stay in the house of the former Mayor! It was great. I was really shown so much love by this family. Their daughter might study at Toledo next year, and the husband and wife will be there in the fall so I will get to see them again i am sure! :)


Here is a picture of one of the mills, this city used to be a big textile city.
oh, here is the farmer's market. or the mickey d's..... i thought it was too ironic.
here is in the heart of Delmenhorst, and a really cool sculpture.... it was a busy saturday!!

The next post I will add more pictures from Bremen, it was about a half hour away and their daughter and son showed me that city. It was alot of fun....