UMKC Study Abroad

2011-05-23T12:08:00.002-05:00

http://amrricninlondon.blogspot.com/
Hey! I'm Tess. I won't be heading to London until the fall, so I won't post things here until then. However, I'm still posting on the process and preparation. If anyone wants to follow, please feel free!!

more Russian highlights

2011-02-03T02:55:00.000-06:00

9/10
Chapel was interesting, but not so much because of the speakers. 4 people just had to speak about their summers. So after a while, 2 guys behind us started chuckling as silently as possible; then I heard one of them whisper ‘alejandro, Roberto, Fernando’ and I almost cracked up. No one expects whispered Lady Gaga lyrics during a Russian chapel.

9/13
Lunch with A—we talked about alcohol. Kids start drinking vodka in 5th grade here. The society as a whole lives from one holiday to the next and there is always alcohol for every holiday. Always. Drugs are a huge problem here. They have what we would call raves, with music that’s not even techno, it’s just a steady beat with no melody. People go there specifically to do drugs and dance all night long. There are a few Russian metal bands that are encouraging people not to do drugs, though…apparently there’s one that advertises, "this music was not written under the influence of drugs. They will not help you enjoy or understand the music better."

9/14
Lunch with A—talked about wars and veterans. His grandpa was a commander and he would beat his men if they smoked marijuana . He said they could drink, but never smoke. I asked if PTSD was a problem here and he said yes. The vets are just destroyed. I asked if they were put on medications and he said no, the government does nothing to help.

Yury was in the kitchen for a bit. He speaks very little English, but still more than I do Russian. He’s like an adorable uncle. He came in with pictures of his daughter and him. She lives in Magadan, which I’d never heard of so he went and got a map. He said a lot of his family lives in Canada. He had a beautiful wife, but they separated in 06. His brother died in '95, I think in a war. I asked him why he wasn’t in Canada, too, and he said something about WWII, 4 countries—France, Germany, England, America all fighting, Hitler went down, and at 6, his grandma put him, his mom and 4 aunts in a boat, and his dad somehow got in there too, I’m not really sure. Then he used a fake cardinal as a symbol for a child, put it under his captain hat, and I don’t know if he meant his mom snuck him on the boat as a child because he took off his hat at one point like the child was a surprise, or that he became a captain as a kid. But either way, he eventually became captain of a fish boat, and sailed around the world. I love Yury. I hope to understand his stories by next month.

9/15
The only other Western students here are 3 Canadian guys. I was shocked to find out they don’t know who Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are. One said, "we didn’t get the radio till last year," and I was like, "that doesn’t matter, they’re dancers!" And then I retracted the statement, but I'd already dug my hole...'cause they had just showed me the youtube video, "talking to americans" a couple days ago. The one where Americans believe the most ridiculous, ignorant rumors about Canada.
Christmas is an imported holiday here, but Russians have a Grandfather Frost instead of Santa Claus. Дед Мороз/Dyed Moroz is in blue instead of red and has no reindeer. He doesn’t fly in a sleigh, because that’s far too absurd for Russians. He’s real, and hardy, and walks. He has a grandchild, so he’s had a real relationship and family at one point. But there are no chimneys in Russia, so he walks through walls.

9/19
I ventured out to try to find Mimigrantsy theater—a children’s/mime theater, but couldn't find it because there are almost no street signs in SPb. So I wandered for a while in the rain. Crossing the street by the metro was…interesting. It reminded me how different it is here from the US and how much I’ve lost track of it. There were 2 policemen running the massive amount of pedestrian traffic, and they looked and talked like Gestapo. Really, it’s exactly how I’ve seen them in WWII films and I can absolutely imagine them knocking someone’s door in with a machine gun—but they’re just running a traffic corner. So this one woman for some reason decided to cross on her own, and she got yelled at. If someone talked like that to me, esp someone in a uniform, I’d cringe and fold. But she argued back. He won, of course. But it was a fascinating exchange of two kinds of people in a kind of situation that would just never ever happen in America. And everyone around them watched or ignored them silently.

I found a supermarket on Nevsky prospekt, in the bottom of a flea market. They had brown sugar! At least I think it’s brown sugar...I'll open it tomorrow and find out. I couldn’t find baking powder, but they also had chamomile tea, lots of dried fish (including a whole trout…), beef jerky, pancake and cake mixes, instant meals, etc. I just need to find baking powder and chocolate chips and marshmallows. I also found a small dvd and cd vendor with ‘great performances’ and American blockbusters for about 7 bucks, including Russian Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Twilight, and one of the Harry Potters (no idea which one).

9/23
The brown sugar is not brown sugar. I went back to look at other brands...sometimes they color some sugar and call it brown, and sometimes it's just unrefined.
I finally got to a show at the Mariinsky tonight. The theater is gorgeous—a deep, brilliant green. I heard more English speakers there than Russian. The performance of Eugene Onegin was pretty magnificent.
Seeing "J's" reactions to the opera was really interesting. It brought back so many memories for her. Russian children have to memorize part of this poem in school, and she was lip-syncing several arias. There’s so much beauty the Russian language itself unlocks that English speakers will never get in translation. Simple things like Lensky changing from ‘ya lublyu vas’ in the beginning of his aria to Olga to ‘ya lublyu tebya’ halfway through—the formal to the informal, a huge shift in intention and comfort level. And Onegin’s saying the formal ‘vas’ to Tatiana at the end...it affects character development. And other specific words that were clearly from the 19th century—they transport Russian speakers to another era, but English speakers lose that whole layer. This is why I love Russia.

9/25 Novgorod.
Woke up before the sun…meaning 6:45. I actually have no idea where the sun was at that point because I sleepwalked for about 3 hours. We took the metro to another metro, walked for 15 minutes to the bus station, rode the bus for 3 hours, and arrived in Novgorod. We met Leonid there, who immediately showed us a bust of the city’s ancient hero, Alexander Nevsky. Leonid said (through A) ‘originally, this looked very different. There was no helmet, he had a full beard and (something else, I can’t remember what...probably glasses), and he was called Karl Marx. The street down here is still named Marx street, but now the statue is Nevsky.’ Ha.
We saw their kremlin, a church, some towers with a view of the whole city, a belfry, a local history museum (which was awesome till the icons—I can’t take any more of those), and a lot of beautiful countryside and forest. The trip back felt like I was in Dr. Zhivago, seeing some of the farms on the roadside. And I saw at least 5 signs with town names crossed out. No idea why.
I liked Novgorod instantly. St Petersburg is our New York, and I assume Moscow is our LA…Novgorod seems to be our…Seattle? It’d be a great place to settle down. The first thing I noticed is how many children were out, how many more women wore headscarves, and how crowded it wasn’t. It’s very picturesque, like the streets around Delmar in St Louis--cleaned up--and the buildings painted pastel colors--which looks stranger than it sounds.
We saw even more brides and grooms…apparently there’s a specific church outside the kremlin; if you walk around it 3 times right after you get married, you’ll have a happy marriage. So we saw 2 or 3 couples out there. One couple was taking a picture with their limo; he was in the driver’s seat and she was out pushing the car.
The little cafe we found was pretty awesome. Apparently in small restaurants, people don’t claim whole tables. We were really awkward about sitting down with strangers, but to them it was completely normal.
I got back and talked to S till 2 am. She's from Siberia, and knows a lot more English than the other girls. She’ll probably get a proposal this winter, and she’s going to ask him to wait till she’s 19 (2 years). People get married young here…she has friends who are 16 and married/pregnant, 17 and married with a child, and it’s normal. We talked about marriage in the States. She’d heard American women want to be independent and marry later or have careers first, and how the women sometimes work more than the men and don’t always stay in the kitchen and cook. She said a lot of women here don’t like to cook when they’re young, but learn to enjoy it by 30. She said women in St Petersburg work as much as men, but in Siberia men work and women generally stay home.

Russian adventures

2011-02-03T02:18:00.001-06:00

8/26, day 1
Foreigners...stand out. Everything is so subdued...lone women walk quickly and directly, whether for safety or purpose, I don’t know.
I was instructed not to befriend any street dogs after I mentioned I wasn’t sure if the German Shepherd I saw was alive or dead. He was skin and bones, standing on 3 legs with one paw and his snout halfway through a fence. Not moving a muscle for the 15 or so seconds it took to drive past. Not even a breath, and from his size, I’d notice a breath.
The people aren’t friendly, but most aren’t unfriendly. I see why our guide won’t let me go to theaters at night alone, though. I might be able to go by myself at the end, though.
It is comforting to have a Mcdonald’s close by.

8/27
Privyet! 48 hours on Russian soil and I haven't been harrassed, robbed by police, or kidnapped! In fact, so far my experience here has been daunting but pretty awesome.
The newer buildings were built in the middle of the very old, rundown buildings, and it creates a very strange sense of the city. Kansas City might be diverse, but its diversity isn't right on top of itself...even the poor section has a section of its own, you know. Here, everything's mixed. Old Soviet sentiments are still around--like the prohibiting taking pictures of forms of transportation or anywhere inside the Metro. I guess the Soviets were extremely suspicious of anyone taking a picture of transportation, and flagged him as a spy. The sentiment is still true today, apparently...
We are not supposed to talk much in the streets and definitely not loudly. Our orientation guide says even in '95, 4 years after the Union collapsed, people were still not saying a word in the streets. Nothing. They were still afraid to be calling any attention to themselves in public. She says that's slowly changed, just in the last couple of years. Some people talk now, even stop to say hi, but no one raises their voice. It's very strange. Most are still very silent, fast, direct. Just walking down a street is like driving a car in LA. You have to be aware and ready to dodge, pass, cut, and step aside every second. Taxis and metro are much safer than cars. Everyone smokes here on the streets. And there are a LOT of gigantic pigeons all over, in streets, in the metro, in stores...everywhere, and they're not scared of people. There are also a lot of dogs sleeping on the streets.

Small business is booming here.

8/29
We went to Moskovskaya prospect and saw the Blockade museum--for the 1941 siege of Leningrad. Amazing. Truly incredible. Supposedly they usually have a metronome sound going 24/7, but itwasn’t on yesterday. The story goes that when all the power was out in the city, or maybe it was when there wasn’t any radio contact available anywhere, they broadcast a metronome sound all through the city. That way, if the sound stopped, the people would know the Germans broke through. Our guide said this was the only Russian museum that expressed emotion, or pathos, and the statues are especially important.   WWII is still very potent in Russians’ memories. There’s a statue down the stairs of people dying, an incredible sculpture, everything about this place was just superbly executed, and probably 7 or 8 flowers were lying there. People come every now and then and leave flowers, over 50 years later. Americans might do that at a grave, but at a museum? I don’t know, maybe we do. There was a bride there yesterday, too, which was exciting. Apparently it’s tradition that when a Russian woman gets married, the couple visits all the museums and cultural landmarks. And inside the museum, they had a display case just for Shostakovich and his 7th symphony, written for, or maybe during--I can't remember--the siege. They had his violin and a diary, and I just about died...he was my favorite composer, and that was my favorite symphony as a kid.
We went down the upper class part of town, and across the street where it was literally a different world. The upper class was very nice…kind of like Washington street in Chicago, but less claustrophobic. We went into a clothes store, and I saw where Russians get their fashion. There was a 10,000 dollar men’s fur coat, 75 buck umbrella, niiiice boots I didn’t bother to check the price on, etc…there were affordable items, too, though. The women’s section was great; it felt like an ann taylor, just more sterile and less friendly. It's very 'take care of yourself or ask for help'. Basic, nice long sleeve shirts, cotton/cashmere feel were 20 bucks. Our guide said she heard Russians had better fashion than the states, and I agreed. It’s less diverse than the states, but more people are more fashionable. Americans buy a lot of knockoff brands. These are legit here. I don’t know if they’re name brands, but they are quality, whatever they are. It’s amazing how many upscale places there are in Russia, even in our neighborhood, Narvskiiy prospect, which doesn't seem to be a particularly upscale section of the city. There are still a lot of upper scale stores mixed in with the lower scale, and it’s like you step in one world and out of another every couple minutes.
I saw the first homeless person today. I thought I’d see a lot more. First day in KC, I saw about 5, but here the definition of homeless is different. Homeless in the States is usually far better off than a street seller here, which seems to be one or two steps above homeless, and seem to be only older people selling anything they can find. They are still not considered homeless, like they might be in the States.
"J" and "O" took us out today, and Sundays seem to be much calmer on the streets. We were able to walk down the street and talk, and no one seemed to care. "O" likes to laugh in public, unlike most Russians, but the only time it felt weird was when we were on the bus. We were the only people talking or smiling, and we were out of place but no one seemed to mind terribly. Except maybe the older grandma across from us. But I can never tell if it's a cultural thing or if they’re really annoyed by us. The dislike/avoidance I thought was directed towards us the first day may not have been a dislike of foreigners, but a general attitude towards everyone. I think that’s just the culture here: do your own thing and don't draw attention. "O" and "J" just got back from 2 and a half months in the states, and they said when they first got back they got a lot of weird looks and stares ‘cause they were all ‘smiley from America,’ and it took a couple days to put their Russian faces back on lol. Awesome. It's another leftover Soviet sentiment: "The tallest blade of grass is the first to get cut down." The younger generation seems a bit more relaxed.

This school is a pretty unique place in Russia. Christians seem to be special people in Russia. They’re the only ones I see smiling, unless it’s the young lovers kissing and hugging in the Metro. Some souvenir shops on Nevskiiy prospekt are pleasant, an employee might even ask if they can help you and the clerk might smile at you, but the Christian communities are markedly different from civilian life here. This church met on the 3rd floor of a massive former Lutheran cathedral that was founded by an American about 20 years ago, the Soviets took it over pretty quickly and converted it to a 3 story boxing glove factory. The Christians got it back a few years ago, I think, maybe as many as 10, and now it’s rented out to dozens of churches who hold services there all day long, one after another, in at least 6 huge rooms. The chapel room and anything that can be rented out at school always seem to be hosting a church group. They need places to worship, and buildings are expensive. A stark contrast to America, where there are more empty spaces than Christians who want to worship.
I haven’t experienced a whole lot of culture shock. The transition has been pretty smooth. What I miss most from the States is a microwave, car, and cell phone. I also miss dollars; I spent 550 rubles today on lunch…which was about 15 bucks. At a Pizza Hut restaurant, like a legit restaurant. We had service, they had fancy pastas, salads, specialty pizzas, liquors and coffees--their mocha was ridiculously good and presented like a parfait, I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t even mind their Mt. Dew, which I hate in the States. "J" explained why their soda was so much better here: they all use real sugar, no corn syrup. Their Coke and Pepsi are also unbelievably better than what's served in America. Their Pizza Hut and Mcdonald’s are better than the fast food in the States, maybe 'cause they use half the grease. A large pizza is more expensive here, about 20 bucks, but it’s worth it. Supposedly they have Domino’s here, too, and I’ve seen a KFC, a couple Subways, and a Baskin Robbins here. Not only did I not expect Russian life to be so similar to American, I really didn’t expect it to be better.
"M" was talking about sports after church this morning. I mentioned I heard all of Russia was really upset about the past Olympics, and she basically said ‘ooooh yes. Here, people train from childhood, too, like in Canada. But the parents must pay for everything now, and few can do that. That is why there are no talents rising.’ I asked what changed, and she said ‘when the Soviet Union…broke… the government used to pay for the training, now they do not.’ I wonder if that was true for dancers and musicians, esp composers, too, and if that quality has changed. Good place to start for my thesis research.
Other oddities about St Petersburg…the paramedics in ambulances smoke, the construction workers don’t wear masks with their jackhammers and some don’t wear goggles. St Petersburg is perhaps the only city I never want to drive in. Walking here feels like driving in LA. But I love this place. Absolutely love it.

8/30
First day of classes was awesome. Our literature teacher is a German Russian Jew (I think he said he was technically a Baron), and might be one of the best teachers I will ever have. He doesn’t stick to literature, he will talk about anything important and relevant, whether it’s history, geography, pop culture...anything. He's really funny and incredibly smart. One thing he said really stuck with me: the Swedes, or maybe the Finnish, have a pure democracy. And at one point, they had to decide whether to do away with democracy once and not allow a certain group in their country, or keep democracy then and let them in, but know that this group would destroy their system and they wouldn't have any democracy in 10 or so years. They chose to violate their democratic principles once and keep them out, and they are still a democracy today.

We ate lunch with our director today. Lunches with him are great. I had no idea scientology was here…but apparently everything bad from the west has migrated here. I said ‘sorry’ and he said, ‘no, sorry for us for letting it in here.’   Then we discussed Tom Cruise and how he made Scientology famous but not necessarily popular in the West. Then we discussed Tropic Thunder. We all agreed it was awesome.

We decided to go out to eat for dinner, met "V", and roped him into coming with us. Good thing I brought a dictionary. We used it all night, and it was ridiculous and comical. "V" ended up learning a lot more English than we did Russian. In the restaurant, Nyamburg, an old woman was suddenly sitting behind us, watching us and trying to say something. He spotted her and went over, asked what she was saying, gave her a coin and told her we weren’t Russians and didn’t understand. She hung around for a minute, and he asked her to go away. Then he said people like that make a thousand rubles a day, and up to 5-10 thousand in the metro. I tried to explain they would be considered homeless in America, 'nee dom', but it didn’t land. Glad he hung out with us tonight. He lives in Southern, middle Russia, it might have been Irkutsk. His pictures of home were beautifully covered in snow and I was jealous.

8/31/10

We went to the store to buy food for the next 2 weeks, basically, and it came out to 1800 rubles…bout 60 bucks to feed 4 people. Unreal. It was pretty unreal to be walking around the store with my dictionary trying to find out what kinds of flour are what—unsuccessfully—but it was fun. I’m getting more comfortable with the Russian people. I know we still draw attention, but I saw at least one person there staring at us, I glanced at her and started to smile a little and she did the same…sometimes they’re testing the waters as much as we are. They will be distant, but they’re not unfriendly, and it is probably really strange to see a group of kids come in and try to function without knowing the language. Some will laugh at or with us, and some will be annoyed, but the younger generation seems much more open.
Anyway, we start back to the dorm and stop at the fresh fruit/veggie shop at the corner. I find something called Pepsi Africana in this cool gold bottle and have to try it, of course. Then we buy a whole sack of onions for 18 rubles/kg, and some fresh-from-the-ground carrots covered in dirt. I've never seen them so...real...the Pepsi turned out to be kind of weird diet/fruity thing. Fail, Pepsi.
We went to lunch with "A" and discussed pop culture, movies, music…and Lady Gaga.   "A" said in Russia it means a small dumb bird who can scratch its head while flying or something like that lol. It’s in a children’s folktale.
We go out to Nevskiy Prospekt, and just down the street there are about 6 booths of artists’ work set up in a square, plus 2 side-booths doing live or photo portraits. All of them had incredible work. Just incredible. Art is nearly impossible to get out of the country unless it’s a print. I couldn’t believe some of these paintings, or maybe I just couldn't believe that they were on the streets. The photo portraits included Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Hermione, a Russian boxer, Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and several Angelina photos.
We went to the park by the Church of the Resurrection/on the Spilt Blood, The park was beautifully green and spacious, with calf-height fences that said keep off the grass. We ran into an incredible performer: a guy operating a dancing puppet with a guitar, he played guitar, and had a harmonica and 2 other flutes on top. Unbelievable. We gave him money, for sure, and bought a cd. His name was Tweedleduo, and his cd says 'unauthorized copying and distributing of this cd are very welcome' lol.
Then we came across 2 women sitting on a bench, singing. I wanted to record it but didn't want to interrupt to ask if it was ok. It was a little like shapenote, that haunting sound, but with Shostakovich and the weight of Russia thrown in.
We left the park and found a guy playing a hang drum outside and definitely bought a cd. I'd never seen one before. His cd included 4 other artists' work and histories of the hang drum, 'cause he cares about educating people.
We started back to the metro and I saw the guitarist sitting on the bridge, the one I loved the first time we went. I bought one of his for about 4 dollars. He plays a mean "Yesterday".
I also heard a folk singer and guitarist, and looked for him but didn’t see anyone playing…then I saw a girl sitting in a chair with a stack of cd’s next to a speaker, selling for the artist. I’m like…that’s a brilliant business scheme. Park next to the tourist spot with some good Russian music—I assume it's good—and hire--again, I assume--a girl to sit out there a couple hours a day.
Then we went to a free museum, the Kazan cathedral right outside the metro. Outside, we got hosed. 2 people in costumes offered us a picture with them for 100 rubles. We did it lol...it’s 3 bucks.
Oh, and my roommate finally came. "L" is mid, maybe late twenties, and pretty awesome. She has jet black hair, probably dyed, and a tattoo on her right arm that she says is bad but I assured her was very cool. She’s been studying English for 6 months, and knows more English than I do Russian. We’ve promised to work on each other.

8/31
We were joined at lunch by Dr. Negrov, who asked how we liked it, and said they would like their international program to be bigger. He asked if I had a hard time negotiating between the schools, and I’m like, "no, not really…UMKC just had to approve the program, and you had an up and running website that helped a lot." Then we planned a trip to the South Carolina v. St Petersburg hockey game on October 20th. Psyched.

"V" says my Russian name is Ekaterina Mikhailova. I'm perfectly fine with that :)

9/2
The dorm meeting was cool...rules change here from year to year, I guess. This year, girls aren’t allowed in the rooms on the 3rd/guys' floor, and guys aren't allowed in rooms on the 2nd/girls'. If you get married, congratulations, but find somewhere else to live. The dorm costs might rise next year because the apartment rent went up dramatically in St Petersburg. The government sets prices, and the school officials have no control over how much their dorm/hostel costs.

Lunch was cool, "A" had an interesting view of the Cuban missile crisis. He laughed at the fact that the Russians didn’t even try to hide their putting nuclear missiles there…I mean, we found them in pics from a space satellite…he laughed and said, ‘we’re Russians, we don’t hide our plans, we just say ‘try something and we’ll send a nuclear missile.'’ He did think it was justified, though, ‘cause nato had missiles in Turkey, and the agreement was that the Russians would pull their missiles from somewhere and nato would pull theirs out of Turkey. Russians always keep their word, but then Bruzhnev tried to steal power from Krushchev, and Nato didn’t pull out completely because I guess they thought the Russians were distracted. Same thing happened with Gorbachev and Yeltsin.

UMKC student Sara is in Australia ... check out her blog!

2011-01-28T12:12:00.000-06:00

Click here to see Sara's Australian adventures! http://fromkansastooz.blogspot.com/

Millie is in Slovenia ... read all about it!

2011-01-28T11:48:00.000-06:00

Go to http://www.millieknopp08.blogspot.com/ to see her posts!

How to Mend an Aching Heart

2010-01-07T01:19:00.002-06:00

On my last day, I woke up to the dirtiest room ever. Luggage and clothes everywhere, cups from the night before and dishes that needed attention. I also woke up to the realization of the fact that it would later be my last night in the Czech Republic, since my bus was at three in the morning. I had a feeling I wasn't going to get any sleep that night. With the daily routine of checking Facebook in the morning, I got on to see that a friend invited me to a pillow fight. And that meant I officially had an agenda for the day; 1. Finish packing. 2. Get rid of items I couldn't take home. 3. Run around the building and beat the stuffing out of people and live up my last night in town.

To my surprise our one round of pillow fighting lasted for hours. We took a break for lunch and later found other players and got everyone together. Besides feathering the halls, corridors and elevator with someone's busted pillow, we decided to have a giant sleepover in a corridor. So we grabbed our mattresses and got together to enjoy the night together. I sat there and looked around the room and realized I was surrounded by people I didn't know three months before but had become to love like family. They were people I shared a million memories and cultural experiences with. They were the people who changed my view of the world. They became just more than people I had good times with.

It was that night that I realized how much my life had changed and what I had learned. It was a ride for me in every aspect. Though I wanted to see my family and friends back home, my heart ached to face the fact that I was leaving people, a dorm and a country that touched my heart in ways I never thought possible. Considering the horror I had to go through adjusting to the living arrangements, it's safe to say that they more I lived through it, the more I became to enjoy its oddity. In a country where I was "exotic", as much as it bothered me and sort of put me off, I had to realize that when I got back home, I was just like everyone else. Most of all, the people were who I would miss the most.

I was parting from a piece of me that was desperately needed to build the hope that exists because of this whole experience. I never really knew what I was capable of doing, but it pulled more out of me than I thought possible or that was even a part of me. This experience took myths and stereotypes and crushed them to ashes, took the dreams that I had and expanded them and gave me hope for my future that absolutely anything is possible. I learned to love, trust and help complete strangers. I gave up the notion that I was merely another soul in this world, but became fond of the fact that my soul is one to change lives. In every way, shape and form, I certainly hope I did that much in my life so far.

I think that there are areas that I could still grow from, places I could have learned more in, lessons I didn't exactly pass. But I have the slightest hint that it will all be alright and the determination to complete the marathon I am in, to finish and strong. So you may wonder what I learned from this experience. I learned to be independent but also to trust others. I learned to treat people better than I want to be treated because all some people need is kindness and it may be the one thing to get them through the day. I learned a lot can be accomplished through food and sometimes the greatest gifts are fellowship. A lot of healing for me was traveling and seeing the world for what it is; beautiful, faults and all. Cups of tea and hot chocolate can calm a raging storm and bring peace that no heated battle could end.

Before I left I made sure I said my good-byes. I hugged everyone, even if I didn't get to know them as well as I would have liked. So as I rode to the bus station, my roommate helped me with everything. She took me to the bus and helped me with my luggage and all I remember was people standing outside looking at us. A girl from Hong Kong and an "exotic" girl crying like babies. But what they didn't know about us was the bond we made. I remember crying the whole way to the airport and crying myself to sleep on the bus. Never having had to make this type of separation, I felt like a piece of me had been ripped straight from my body and all that was left there was an open gash that needed mending. That mending comes from the memories that I have of those people who touched my life in unimaginable ways.

To those who had the most amazing dinners, don't forget to stop by my house on your way through, and I want you all to know I loved cooking for you. To those who taught me your local dances, songs, food, games and languages, thank you. You have all inspired me to go above and beyond what I thought I could and you have taught me to love and seek out life. I won't forget the chocolate, tea parties, nights at Mandarin, hall dinners, broken glass windows, Vinařská forbidden activities and the unimaginable fun times we had. Love you all dearly and can't wait to see you again in your home towns.

So this time, I the only advice I can give is to hold on to life, love and friendship.

My Life as an InternationGirl

2009-09-24T13:26:00.004-05:00

Well it has been so long since I have blogged. I am so excited to tell you all of the current adventures here in Brno, Czech Republic.

First, I arrived here about two weeks ago and things were wrong from the start. I was exhausted. My Atlantic flight, I got my first European experience from the guy sitting next to me who smelt like there was no such thing as a shower but did believe in cologne. Not such a good combination. Then after three flights and a long train ride I arrived at the bus station in Brno. My tutor met me the station and took me and my luggage to the dorm. I found that my roommate was already here. I went out and around town and had my first Czech meal. It was the most fatty and tough pork I have ever had and was covered in a heavy sauce with whip cream and cranberries.

Well I somehow managed to eat it all and made my way back to the room exhausted... I walk into find a guy in my room standing by the bathroom. I left for about ten minutes to run an errand. I came back to find the same guy there. I walked in and began to unpack and I turned around to find the guy doing the same. Confused I asked if he was my roommate... he said he was . I was so tired and stressed, I just wanted to get in the bed but I had so many things going through my head about how I had a male roommate. He was nice, yes, but it was too new. A new country, first time in a dorm, having never shared a space before, new person whose english was not the best... and it was a guy.

The next moring I left, I had a chance to cry and try and piece things together. It would be easy to just ask to change rooms, but I had already signed my contract and to cancel it I would have had to pay a fine. So as I returned to my room, a lady came to the door and asked if my roommate was there. He had just left so she began to explain to me that there had been a mistake made and they mixed up the name with my "real" roommate and he was to move out as soon as he returned. I was so happy I did not know what to do!

Once that situation was handled, I went out with my tutor and got registered with the police and he showed me around the city. I was ready to go home later but needed to go to the store. My tutor told me how to get there and then said he was going home, even after I asked him to help me make sure I got back alright. So then I had to find out how to get to the store. That went well... but he didn't tell me how to get home! So of course I had no idea how to get there, but he did make sure he gave me a map earlier in the day, but the map was missing the names of the stops and the numbers. I was lost in the city for hours with groceries and had no idea how to get home. Most people do not speak english and the young people are a little scared to use their english so they will say that they don't. The only way I got home was by just happening to come by some english speaking people who helped me get home.

"I wanna slap the communism out of this country", comes from someone I have come close to. There is alot of things that have happened in the country that make the people here act and feel the way they do because of all of the wars and situations they have had to face. The communist aspect of life from back then still lingers and it makes alot of everyday things that should be simple, very hard. So just experiencing all the staring and odd looks from people, no customer service and getting ripped off for not speaking the language, understandable. We get through it. It is hard, but we do what we know how.

After a stressful two first days, I met my real roommate in whom is AMAZING!

Things have gone uphill since then. I live in a great hall. We all get along like a family and have become close really quickly... they are my family. I had the highest hope to make bbq with Gates bbq sauce while I am here. Sadly, I was not able to find a grill... yet. So I went ahead and made dinner for the floor and we had dinner in the hall together. I made hamburgers and homemade french fries. Some other people brought things and we had a great time just enjoying each others company and having dinner. It was a great feeling to feed people and having the chance to sit down and talk. I am really
(In this picture, left to right: Michaela, Tyler, Tom, Laura, Gabriella, Brad, Steffie, Lauren and Megan)

beginning to like here...

Advice this time: take Oreos and peanut butter. They can get you through a whole lot. Meeting people on Facebook can save you alot of hassle by already knowing people and understanding they are going through the same thing. Get to know the people around you, they will definitely be able to help you, even if it is everyone's first time. Don't be exclusive; get to know any type of person that you come by. They may be the one to help you that you least expect.

But mostly... things will go wrong... and alot of the time. But know that its just that moment. Don't let the fear of not knowing or understanding hold you from what you can be.

Get Involved!

2009-06-10T13:31:00.004-05:00

So, this fall I will be attending Masaryk University in Czech Republic for a semester. I am quite excited. I have not even left yet but I am beginning my journey already. I have met some interesting people who have helped me and already learned some things.

I wanna tell you about my friends!!! So I was on facebook and I was looking at student groups. I found a group, ERASMUS Brno. I have already met a ton of students who will be working or studying in Brno. They are so nice. Not everyone is going to Masaryk, some are going to the shoool of technology. But either way, it has been great. These people are from everywhere all over Europe. They have helped me so much. It is so nice to talk to other students who are going through the same thing that I am and they are able to give me advise. They have been there to answer my questions and they have been so great with calming down my fears about my first abroad experience. They have been an experience and doors to the world outside of the U.S. I have gotten to practice my spanish, and learn words in Czech.

And they inform me on shopping- less expensive and a great selection... this may be a problem. I dont think I have enough suitcase space for the shopping I will be doing. Oh the agony!!!!

I got to meet with Kate last week, she was so extremely helpful. I needed that. She sat down with me and helped me plan out my visa process. We went over everything, then she explained some details to me about the trip. I told her I will be landing in Vienna. She told me I should probably stay in Vienna over night and try to enjoy the city while fighting jet lag. I think that it is brilliant, so yes I am now looking for hotels in Vienna. But still have yet to figure out how to get the train from Vienna to Brno.

At this point, I have been so happy to be able to get things accomplished. I am still trying to wrap myself around the fact that I am leaving in a few months. I plan to travel while I am there. Making these plans take so much time and energy. But it is worth it.

My current advice, get involved. Put yourself out there. It will pay off. I would love to hear from the rest of you and get to know how everything is going for you! So please, respond. And who knows, maybe we can meet in your or my host country!

2009-05-29T16:25:00.001-05:00

Mathew Varon studied in Mexico and won Honorable Mention in UMKC's 2008 study abroad photo contest!

2009-05-29T16:23:00.000-05:00

Farrisa Sarreal went to Mexico and won 2nd place in UMKC's 2008 study abroad photo contest!

2009-05-29T16:15:00.000-05:00

McKenzie Retzer went to France and won 1st Place in UMKC's 2008 photo contest!