Everything Starts at the Seam

2009-02-17T15:14:00.000-08:00

i know, i know, jason mraz... but seriously, drew and i lived here! i could tell you where each segment of this video was taken (well, not the beach parts). why did we ever leeeeaaaave?

true life confessions

2009-02-03T21:04:00.000-08:00

- if i have to walk across campus when it's cold outside and the ground is wet and slippery, i usually walk inside buildings to get to where i'm going.

-if i'm forced to choose between sleeping and showering, i almost always choose sleep (a decision i've been making a lot lately).

-i don't think i'm cut out for blogging.

2008-12-09T21:43:00.000-08:00

why do i think this is so funny? i especially LOVE the clip of the lady in the courtroom, it has been making me laugh all day.

let's be candid

2008-11-30T17:48:00.000-08:00

there is this stereotype of artists that conceives that many go insane over time. some blame overexposure to chemicals, and others to an overactive mind. i'm not sure where the truth lies in this notion, but i have to tell you that i literally feel like i'm going crazy. i don't mean that i'm in a really busy season or that i have some emotionally taxing situation, i mean that i think i'm actually going crazy. i can't explain it all here in writing, or even in speech, but certain things have been happening for the past few months that really make me question my sanity. for example, just yesterday i was driving home to my parent's house- the house i lived in for somewhere around 17 years, the freeway exit that i've taken hundreds of times- and somewhere between upcoming holiday gifts and photography ideas i realized that i had passed my exit... 15 miles ago. and lately at work when i have to clock in, it will deny me access and then i'll see that i punched in my exact numbers, but in reverse or in a mirror image on the keyboard. or i'll be reading, and when a sentence doesn't make sense i'll go back and re-read it a few times only to discover that the single word that disrupted the entire sentence flow is in fact 4 lines below.

part of me wants to blame the high fevers from my tango with malaria and the brain cells that were lost as a result. another part thinks the darkroom chemicals are to blame. i don't feel overloaded and i'm not especially stressed out.

let me be real with you, when we were in sudan (how many sentences will i begin with that phrase in my lifetime?), i peed the bed. yep, as a 22 year old, i peed the bed. now, speaking of malaria, the hallucinations that accompany this disease are totally to blame for my midnight soiree with the mattress. i actually believed i was in a bathroom (um, ok fevers of 103 and life threatening disease here!). anyways, my point is that i've been having those dreams again. they haunted me for months after the pee incident. this dream where i am in a bathroom peeing, and then i partially wake up and realize that i'm actually still in bed. the only "accident" happened when i was sick, but i had surreal feeling every time i actually did go to pee, a fear that i might be dreaming instead. well, i had the dream last night and had to feel the sheets underneath me to make sure everything was still kosher (which it was).

2008-11-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

i'm usually semi-indifferent toward thanksgiving. aside from the nostalgia that it brings in officially starting the holiday season, thanksgiving doesn't really do tons for me. it may be the issue that with my extended family, it's usually an awkward gathering where no one really has much to talk about.

this year i'll be spending the holiday with drew's siblings, and i'm ultra excited. i think it has to do with the fact that this is the first thanksgiving for us that we are in charge of. usually, i just show up and eat. but this time, we're doing all the cooking. there's a real sense of ownership that comes with being the one to dictate the menu and then to execute it (though i will say that we aren't exactly dictating anything- as the holiday itself basically commands the menu). i'm in charge of desserts, and since i can't cook worth a dime i'm pretty pleased with this responsibility. like i said, i can't cook, but i have inherited the uncanny ability to bake that runs within the women in my family.

i just got a nannying job for the new year. i'm so ready for a job where i can invest in the lives of others. i think it will be pretty perfect.

The $20 Weekend

2008-11-16T17:45:00.000-08:00

If you want to know anything about me, then you should know that I will stretch every single penny for miles. I'm a sucker for a bargain, and I will never buy consumer goods at full price, unless I have searched the city and internet and found the best deal, though usually I convince myself to just wait until the latest version comes out and the one I want goes on sale.

Anyways, this habit extends into my social life, and sometimes makes it hard to hang out with friends who like to spend a weeks worth of wages on drinks alone. I am so fortunate to have found a mate who has adapted his frugality to meet mine, and I really think this lifestyle works for us.

This weekend in terms of money:
Friday- Drew and I make a collaborative dinner- he's on the main dish and I'm on the side. $0.
-After dinner we hit the local bookstore for some quality pop culture updates. $0.
-Movie rental: Bella. $1 from redbox.
Saturday- Wake early to go to Tiny Canary with my sister- a local indie arts and crafts fair- think etsy but in person. Arrive early enough to be one of the first 100 people in line and get free handmade, organic tote goodie bags which include free samples and gifts from the vendors like handmade cards, necklaces, keychains, sketchbooks, pens, pins, hair pins, coffee coupons, and patches. $0.
-Splurged on some baked goods from everyone's favorite local vegan bakery, Pattycake. $9.
-Use coupon to get coffee to have with delicious baked goods. 65cents.
-Sell a few articles of clothing at a consignment shop in order to have the funds to support these crazy spending habits. Make $25.
- Take our earnings to a coffee shop and splurge again on a smoothie, a beer and the best chai in Columbus. $10.

So, in total we actually ended up making $5 this weekend. I can't say that we usually have weekends full of almost free stuff, but I can say that I usually feel pretty good about life when we do.

Kamau

2008-11-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

This is Kamau. He's 4. Ross just sent me this photo as a Happy Bday photo from Sudan!!! It seriously makes my day to see new photos of our kids. Murielle is leaving for Nimule on Thursday, and of course I get all emotional thinking about her trip and wondering how the kids have changed in 3 short months.

Things I'm Really Digging Right Now

2008-10-30T09:35:00.000-07:00

1. Ban.do. I know, I know, very reminiscent of Kenley from PR season 5... but seriously, I think they're great. I'm thinking I could make a pretty good replica too.

2. My space heater. That thing has been with me for 8 or so years, and is probably my favorite material possession right now. When I'm away for the day, all I can think about is going back home and curling up with it.

3. Gustav Klimt.
I just bought a set of 12 of his prints at work on sale and with my discount... 6 bucks. I've been in love with his work since high school, and I had the honor of seeing this one in person in Vienna last year.

4. Rat tails on little boys. You heard (read) me. I saw a friend's 3 year old son with one this week and almost ate his face off.

5. Cascadian Farms All Natural Chocolate Chip Granola Bars. These things are the best granola bars I've ever had. They have a huge amount of honey in them and I eat like 3 a day.

Something else I wanted to mention is that I'm trying to drink more water. Sometimes, when I'm brushing my teeth at night, I'll realize that the only other time I drank anything that day was when I brushed my teeth that morning. So I thought maybe if I wrote it down I would make a larger effort.

Isaiah

2008-10-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

i saw my first live birth in sudan this summer. it was intense. the woman was pushing, even though her water hadn't broken yet. guess where i was standing as she was pushing? yep, right between her legs. thankfully one of the nurses gave me a good shove right as the water broke- spraying about 3 feet forward in the exact location i had just been in. whew- glad i missed that one.

anyways, i've been thinking a lot about that birth lately. i later had the pleasure of naming the child (isaiah), who's mother made barely a sound when she delivered. only occasional "oooh loo-loo", in just above a whisper. this is just one many many instances which proves that african women are a hell of a lot tougher than most american women can dream to be. including myself. in fact, the only time the mother showed any sign of great pain was the day after the birth, when murielle had to sew her lady parts back together. she was squeezing my arm so tight during that procedure that my arm literally went numb and then i thought i was going to pass out. i think the squeezing was justified.

did i mention the absence of any anesthetic throughout the entire procedure? including the lady parts part? yeah.

that wasn't the only time i thought i would pass out in that hospital. in fact, before any of the action had even begun in isaiah's birth, i was imagining what was about to happen as murielle described it to me, and i had to leave the room and put my head between my knees. case in point.

Laugh With Me

2008-10-10T10:10:00.001-07:00

I saw this a few months ago on a blog that I follow. Not only is this video hilarious, but it brings to light a few great points about birth control. Disclaimer- might make boys uncomfortable.

False Alarm

2008-10-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

So you know that really mean guy who stole one of my photos? Well, I remembered today that I submitted some photos for the FULAA newsletter (the organization sponsoring my Sudanese babies), and it turns out that the dude who allegedly stole my photo is like the president of the organization... and the Facebook application is actually to raise money for Cornerstone (the orphanage)... Mystery solved.

2008-10-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this fundraiser application thing on Facebook the other day (and really? am I really writing about Facebook on my blog? I'll try not to make a habit of it...) only to discover that the host was using one of my photos to advertise. At first I was a little surprised. Then I got kinda territorial. It was one of my favorites from Sudan. Then I realized that I haven't ever actually posted any pictures from Sudan, except for a few weeks ago on this here blog, and it wasn't the same photo anyways. So I'm a little confused. How did this person get my photo? The only place it has ever existed is on my camera and on my computer. I can't decide if I'm upset that he would use one of my copyrighted photos without asking, or if I feel violated in some weird computer way. Or maybe I just don't know how this whole computer/internet thing works and maybe I'm making a bigger deal out of this than need be. Lend me your thoughts.

I'm living in the darkroom. I would say that I'll post some photos soon... but now I'm all paranoid. In other news, I know that Drew needs to get his own place, but having him live at my house temporarily was so fun and convenient. Selfishly, I'll be sad to help him move out next week. Also, I'm experiencing a renewed appreciation for my city of Columbus. Working in a gallery downtown has been really insightful not only to the industry, but also to the art community of Columbus. I'm not saying that I don't still dream of being in Denver again (more on this later- plans to come), but for now Columbus is a really good place for me to be.

2008-10-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

"I wish we could have a cessation in the use of the word Africa for just 18 months while America learns that Africa is a continent; that just in sub-Saharan Africa has 48 separate countries, and that it's not just the geography, it's the politics, the culture, the language, everything is different, and that yes, there's been bad news in Darfur, yes, there's been bad news out of Zimbabwe, but you have country after country after country with very high growth rates and remarkable progress. I mean, Rwanda, genocide in '94, 10 percent of the country dies in 90 days. Four years later, their per capita income still well under $300 a year, 10 years later, $1,000 a year. Nearly quadrupled their per capita income. That's the real Africa. That is far more representative of what the African people are doing and can do tomorrow than the other, and I really wish every time we talked about it--you should discuss it with your news people--whether we would mention a country. You might say, "Oh, by the way, it's in Africa," but we've got to stop thinking of Africa as a monolith."

Bill Clinton--September 28, 2008

Intergalactic

2008-09-30T18:38:00.000-07:00

I've been having those days lately where I leave the house and don't return until over 12 hours later. I don't feel overwhelmed by it yet, but give it time and it's sure to take a toll.

a few newish things:

I have an internship at a local gallery that i go back and forth between being pumped about and being nervous about.

I work at Barnes and Noble- whose views and ideas do not represent those my own (really? is that necessary?), and all it really does for me is make me want to spend money.

Today in the darkroom, I had a few moments of anxiety at the realization that I didn't know what the eff I was doing anymore, but then it all came rushing back to me in an exhilarating way.

All I could think about for most of my day is the fact that my dear friend Hope (who is amazing and is currently in Kolkata, being amazing) has lice right now. My biggest fear. ever. Is it lame to say that after years of feeling like India is on my heart, the idea of getting lice makes me want to run and scream away from the idea? Yes, yes it is.

In Sudan this summer, the kids wanted to have an evening to show us their traditional tribal dances. So we decided that we should show them a traditional dance of our own. So we danced the robot to Intergalactic by the Beastie Boys. I hope they really thought that the robot was in any way an equivalent to their super meaningful tribal dances.

It's been some time.

2008-09-23T10:10:00.001-07:00

I've decided to resurrect our Prague Blog. Except we're not on Prague anymore. So I guess I'll have to change the name. I've just been reading more and more blogs lately, so I decided to join the bandwagon (again...).

This summer has been... incredible. Drew and I spent some of June and July in Sudan, and, as expected, it has left imprints in my heart that I encounter every single day. We lived and worked at a children's home that my brother has a fundamental role in, while assisting in the local (and ridiculously understaffed) hospital. I'm not going to get into detail now, but it's entirely probable that I'll write more about the experience in the future, so I thought I'd mention it now.

I know Drew posted this video on his blog, but it's so amazing that I'm posting it also. Seriously, it makes me cry every time, without fail. And do I think the crying is partially influenced by the Whitney Houston music perfectly timed to the movie? Yes, absolutely.

I don't know about you, but I'm pretty stoked about fall. We were out of the country last fall, and though we experienced fall in a totally great way, there's just something about Ohio fall that will always be a little nostalgic for me.

happy thanksgiving!

2007-11-25T10:59:00.000-08:00

wow,

it's been quite a while since we've written on here. sorry for the delay, we've been busy with school and other events. nevertheless, we are back to update you on the recent ongoings in our lives.

since we last posted, a lot has happened: alie turned 22, we protested a nazi rally, we visited a church made of bones, and we celebrated thanksgiving. i'll start from the top...

alie's birthday was a big success. i planned a little celebration for her at a trendy club/restaurant in the city. i made a reservation for 15 people, and over 20 came, so we were both very pleased. alie felt loved (because she is). everyone ordered drinks and appetizers like hummos, grape leaves, soups and other dishes. a few of the girls bought alie a chocolate cake from a local bakery. it was delicious.

november 10th marked the anniversary of crystal night, where the nazi occupation began in prague 69 years ago. on that night nazis stormed through the city, destroying jewish storefronts, killing many jews, burning down synagogues, and hauling jews off to concentrations camps. the still-thriving neo-nazi group in prague attempted to march through the jewish quarter in commemoration of that day. alie and i took part in the protest to prevent their rally from occurring. heavily armed swat teams patrolled the city all day. when evening came, we stumbled upon a confrontation between the neo-nazis and the police force which was an incredibly intense moment to witness. we were shocked to see this hatred first hand. after hearing countless personal accounts of the holocaust from my professors here, i can't believe that people still deny its existence. ridiculous.

this past weekend aifs took us to a town in southern bohemia called kutna hora. kutna hora is famous for it's church made of bones called the kostnice ossuary, and the santa maria which is a beautiful cathedral with intricate stained glass. the santa maria is the largest of the 3 cathedrals in the czech republic. the bone church was really creepy, adorned with countless skulls and other bones. it was composed from the bodies of 40,000 people who died of the plague in the 1500s. it was a really frigid day, but we warmed up at a restaurant by eating heavy czech food and sitting by the fire.

as you all know, europeans have no reason to celebrate thanksgiving. however, we attended a lavish thanksgiving feast at the marriot that aifs reserved for us. we ate blackened catfish, venison, duck, quale, delicious pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, greenbeans, stuffing, hot cider, and of course turkey, among others. considering we were away from everyone that we are thankful for, the meal couldn't have been any better. plus, it was alie and my first thanksgiving spent together, so it was special in that regard. because we ate so much (who wouldn't? it was a free meal!), we waddled home feeling slightly sick. we've since recovered and are upset that we didn't steal more leftovers (alie brought tupperware). man, i could go for a nice turkey sandwich right now...

our last few days have been spent christmas shopping and museum hopping. hope you all had a great thanksgiving. we can't wait to get back to the states and celebrate christmas with you! less than 3 weeks!!!

love you,
drew

poland...

2007-11-05T08:54:00.000-08:00

hey all,

as some of you know, aifs took us to poland this past weekend. we left prague friday morning and arrived in krakow at 5 that evening. we strolled into the town square, which was one of the most beautiful and biggest town squares that we've seen on this trip. as we entered the square, on the left stood a large church that had the most ornate alter inside. The rest of the town square houses little shops and a sheltered marketplace to buy souvenirs. we spent the evening in search for traditional polish perogies, but our search was unsuccessful, so we had pizza... lame, i know.

the next day we toured the town, visiting many of the historical churches and monuments. we also went to the national gallery in the afternoon, where they have works by da vinci and rembrant. they also had a large egyptian exhibit which was really neat. they had mummified cats, mongooses, and birds. i should probably mention that we attempted to redeem ourselves in the perogi search from the night before, but the restaurant we chose was out of them! so drew had a polish sausage and i had... gelato. i was starting to think we'd never find perogies

finally, for dinner we made a reservation at a place that was recommended to us for large portions. and they had perogies! the group of us that had been on the perogi hunt came away feeling very satisfied. afterwards we went to a mediterranean bar to spend time with everyone. we went to bed early that night because we knew we were going to have an emotionally draining day the next morning.

we got on the bus early again, unsure whether to feel excited or solemn about where we were going: the auschwitz concentration camps. we won't elaborate much on here, because it is definitely better to hear it in person, but as we walked through the camps there was a somber feeling among the group. walking in an out of the former barracks was very surreal and began to become more realistic as we passed through rooms filled with shoes, glasses, brushes and other belongings of the once imprisoned jews and other outcasts. one of the more shocking sights was seeing a large room filled with over 3 tons of human hair. we visited both auschwitz 1 and auschwitz-birkenau 2. birkenau was the camp specifically designed for extermination, and was even more eery than auschwitz 1. appropriately, the weather was very grim and dark that day. please feel free to ak questions, because we've been very vague.

"work will set you free"

these are the empty cyclone b cans which held the gas used to kill the prisoners

these next 4 pictures were some of the personal belongings of the prisoners

a view of auschwitz from the end of the railroad tracks which brought the prisoners to the camp.

the trip was fast, but we really saw a lot. it was a very bittersweet trip; friday and saturday was really fun, but sunday was a bit of a downer. this week is filled with more midterms and papers, and the second half of the semester is here. tomorrow is my birthday so we have plans for going to the zoo, having appetizers and drinks with friends, and then going to dinner ourselves. although this birthday will be special because i'm in prague, i am a little sad that i can't celebrate with friends and family. i'm so glad to have drew here.

until next time,
drew & alie

drum roll please...

2007-10-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

family and friends,

italy has come and gone and we were fortunate enough to see so much. we consider ourselves very lucky to have visited a place so vast with history. many of you have been asking about it, and really, we could write individual entries about the food or the history or the art alone, but to save attention spans, we'll keep it to one post, although it will be long. so here is our trip, day by day:

friday-
when we stepped off our plane from our two hour flight into rome, we literally had no idea how to get to our hostel, so naturally, we got lost on our way. after riding the trams, trains, buses, and walking around the city, we eventually put our pride aside and got a taxi. with a steep fee, he successfully took us to our destination. after we got settled in our tiny room which housed 6 other people, we went out into the city to find food. our first meal was delicious: scrumptous pizza and pasta. after dinner we got gelato. italian gelato is fantastic, and we got it at least once a day. what amazed us on the first day was our frequent and random stumblings upon crazy ruins which are mixed in with more modern buildings all throughout the city.

saturday-
queues are very common when attempting to get into the vatican, so when we walked there, we were greeted by a line took us about 2 hours to get through. waiting in the line was worth it however, since we got to see some the most amazing art that has ever been created. as we walked through the vatican, we saw numerous sculptures, busts, and paintings from before even jesus' time. it was filled with renaissance art by leonardo, michaelangelo, raphael, and donatello. basically we hung out with the pope and the ninja turtles all day. cowabunga! at the end our tour through the museum, we found ourselves in the sistine chapel which took michaelangelo 8 years to complete. we were truly awestruck when we stepped into the room that was covered in depictions of biblical stories. taking pictures was strictly forbidden in the sistine chapel. however, we had to snap a few before getting yelled at by the chapel security.

following the vatican, we strolled over to st. peter's basilica which is a gigantic, overwhelming church with mile high ceilings and numerous works of art. when we first entered the church, we accidentally stumbled upon the basement where all of the deceased popes were held in their tombs. many people were paying their respect to their past catholic leaders. although it wasn't as meaningful for us, it was still very interesting to see the veneration of the individuals towards the popes. however, what blew us away was the tomb of peter. PETER!?! we were pretty dumbfounded to know that one of the most popular biblical figures was laying before us. the rest of our time at st. peter's was spent wandering around the cathedral, admiring it's beauty.

sunday-
we woke up early (although we did everyday) and made our way over to the area with the most concentrated ruins: the roman forum. on our way, we randomly ran into the spot where julius ceasar was murdered. from the morning to the early afternoon, we roamed around (pun intended) some of the oldest buildings and structures in the world. the roman forum leads up to palatine hill, which is where the first settlement in italy occurred. that means that we were walking through structures that are some 3-4,000 years old. it was really cool because although the buildings no longer have roofs, they still have walls and you can clearly see how the set up of houses, churches, and other institutions looked. it was hard to imagine people just like us living their daily lives in these places.

finally, at the end of the ruins stands the ever so popular coliseum. it was huge! much larger than we had imagined. finished in 80 AD, it is truly remarkable that this building still stands. we spent some time outside just staring at it, but eventually we went inside to take a look. it was so cool to see all the detail and to try and imagine animals, gladiators and christians fighting in the arena below. they had part of the floor of the arena removed so that you could see below where the animal cages where kept and where the other chambers existed. it was one of the most remarkable things we saw.

monday-
this was another history-filled day for us. we started by going to the piazza navona, a famous town square where many artists and vendors were selling their work. next we passed the tower that was erected in honor of marcus aurelius, it was quite detailed. we also visited the famous trevy fountain, although apparently someone had spilled red paint in the fountain the day before, so the fountain was emptied and being cleaned. it lacked a little luster. next, we visited the spanish steps- a popular meeting point for both toursits and locals alike for years passed. finally, we ended our afternoon with the pantheon, which was the largest dome in the world before the invention of reinforced concrete in the 20th century. it is the best preserved building of it's time- built in 27 BC. the circle and the dimensions of the dome are so perfect that to this day, they do not know how they achieved this without modern technology. it also holds the tomb of raphael and many other italian kings.

that night, we had our first evening to spend just the two of us, so we had a nice dinner and walked around the city a bit. it was very nice.

tuesday-
we were both excited to see the countryside, so when it came time to board our train to florence we had high expectations. during our ride, a train attendant came up to us and checked our tickets. suddenly he started lecturing us in italian, so we were both very confused. he eventually spoke in english and told us that we didn't stamp our tickets and we could face a possible 50 euro ($75) fine each. luckily he had mercy on us, but it was quite a scare. once we arrived in florence, we got delicious pizza at a nearby restaurant. italian style pizza is very thin and uses less sauce than american pizza. it's very tasty.

wednesday-
on wednesday, we went to the santa croce which held the tombs of many prominent italians, namely michaelangelo and galileo. it also housed a sculpture by donatello and many renaissance pieces. following the santa croce, we got lunch at a place called mario's. mario's is an authentic italian eatery, with noisy locals and a busy, but endearing staff mainly consisting of family members. the meal was so good that we broke our "no eating at the same restaurant more than once" rule and ate there twice. afterwards we went to the duomo which is one of the world's largest cathedrals. the building was beautifully decorated with stained glass windows by donatello. then we went to the accademia which was one of our most favorite places in florence because it displayed michaelangelo's famous david sculpture.

thursday-
we took a day trip with our good friend bradley from florence to pisa to visit the leaning tower of pisa. it was a lot of fun to take silly pictures, and the tower leaned more than we thought! it was one of our more relaxing days. also worth mentioning is the fact that we set out specifially to find a good canoli to eat that day. we were successful. we also visited the pitti palace, the home of the medici family.

friday-
friday we woke even earlier than normal because we had a reservation at the uffizi gallery- without reservations the wait is 2-3 hours to get in. so we arrived only to learn that the national gallery workers had gone on strike and the gallery was closed for the day. we were upset, so we boosted our spirits by going to mario's again. that afternoon, just the two of us travelled back to rome for the evening, and we walked to the coliseum at night. we managed to find a reasonable restaurant with a great view of the coliseum, and it was a wonderful way to end our trip.

saturday-
the next morning we flew back to prague. when we arrived we stepped out of the airport, happy to be back on familiar ground.

wow. so that was pretty long. i'm guessing not everyone read it all, but hopefully they looked at our pictures. we loved our stay in italy and had a blast with john and bradley.

this weekend we leave the country once more to go to poland to visit auschwitz. we think it will be a pretty heavy trip. nevertheless, we are very excited.

we love you all and look forward to seeing you in about a month and a half!

d&a

p.s. we have a lot more photos, so when we get home, we'll show you the rest. and if you have any questions, ask!

ciao bella

2007-10-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since we've last posted, but this week has been a busy one with a lot of papers and midterms. Not to mention all the preparations for Italy! Just to let you know, as I write this post, Drew is in the kitchen cooking up a storm. It smells so good! He gets his good cooking skills from his mom :)

Last weekend we went to a spa town in the mountains called Karlovy Vary. Many czechs travel to this town not only for its spa services, but for the hot spring that runs through the town. The water from the spring is high in minerals, so it is believed to have healing powers. So people come from all over the Czech Republic with their ailments in hopes to drink the water and be healed. We, fortunately, had no ailments to test the water with, but we did taste it. If you ever make it out to K.V., DON'T DRINK THE WATER just for the heck of it. It tastes like blood. No Joke.

On a more positive note, the town is charming. It is situated along the path of a river and the pastel buildings make it quite colorful. Because the town is in the mountains, it was also a nice day to enjoy the fall weather. We even took some time to play in the leaves. Another cool thing about this trip was that there were only about 12 other students with us. Which meant that we got a much more personal experience with our staff guide, "Z". He took us to his favorite coffee shop (where I found chai for the first time EVER since coming on this trip!!!), his favorite restaurant (where Drew had the best czech meal he's had yet), and to a Russian Orthodox church. I don't think visiting the churches of this country will ever get old.

I can't believe that we leave in the morning for Italy. It has come so soon! Italy has been a dream of mine for years and I am so blessed to be going so early in my life. I predict a lot of history, beauty, food and chaos all packed into one week. When we get home, we will only have 6 more weeks here in Prague. Time has flown by!

So you won't be hearing from us for about a week and a half again. We miss home more every day and constantly talk about certain aspects of life that we're craving, and people that we can't wait to see!

fuori all'Italia!
Alie

cesky krumlov...

2007-10-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

hello again, drew here,

another week has passed and we've got so much to tell!!! ... not really, but what we do have to say is pretty interesting...

this past weekend the institute took us to cesky (chesky) krumlov, a quaint little town that seemed to be plucked right out of a fairy tale. it had a castle on a hill with winding cobblestone roads lined with colorful buildings. it's important to mention that c.k. had absolutely no commercial activity which is what made it so charming. no mcdonalds, no tommy hilfiger, no kentucky fried chicken, just local mom & pop restaurants and gift shops. as we climbed the hill to the castle, we were stopped by a moat that caged 2 bears. the bears are now just an attraction, but when the castle was occupied it was guarded by the bears.

during our walk throughout the castle exterior we were stopped by numerous overlooks onto the town. they were all breathtaking. then we walked through castle garden which was a beautiful sight to see since the tree leaves were starting to change to their autumn colors. after roaming the castle we walked back down the hill to further explore the town. we wandered the streets to find chocolatiers, marionette shops, antique shops, and other authentic czech knick knack stores. it was a nice change from the busy streets of prague.

alie and i have decided that cesky krumlov is our favorite town that we have visited, thus far.

classes are beginning to pick up. our first paper was due today and we have alot of reading to do for later this week. school is school, we are just happy to be in prague.

we miss and love you,
drew

weinerschnitzel for all!

2007-10-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

hello world,

well, it's a new week and we have a lot to tell about. since we last wrote, we've been to vienna and back. it was a really great trip that exceeded my expectations. i always picture vienna as a rural countryside. i suppose the only idea of austria that i have is the sound of music, even though that took place in salzburg.

so our first day consisted of alot of travelling, since it took around 5 hours to get from praha to wien. once we arrived at our destination, i was surprised to find out that vienna is very beautiful with massive monuments and statues. friday we walked as a group to the center of town, and then dispersed to explore for the evening. then on saturday morning, "z", an AIFS tour guide gave us a tour of the city. he took us to a few churches that were amazing as usual and we were also able to see where beethoven and mozart lived. i never knew that vienna possessed so much history. after the tour we were given the opportunity to go some nearby museums and do whatever else we pleased for day. this is when alie and i unfortunately got split up. i thought that she had gone off with another group of people, so my friend bradley and i when to a couple museums on our own. we went to the museum of modern art where there were some works by warhol, yoko ono, sigmer polke, and others. after that we went to the museum of fine arts which was in a beautiful building. my favorite part of that museum was the egyptian artifacts.

ok, so i'm going to let alie take over from here, but before i do, i need to take this moment to express my excitement for some recent news:
RADIOHEAD HAS FINISHED THEIR ALBUM "IN RAINBOWS" AND IT WILL BE RELEASED ON THE 10TH OF OCTOBER!!! i have preordered this album and i'm so excited to get it. i've been waiting for 4 years to get this album!!! ... ok here's alie. see ya.

hey all. when drew thought that i had gone off with another group, i was actually sitting in the grass reading a map. when i looked up, the group had dispersed. so i spent the afternoon alone, but i didn't let it ruin my experience. i, too, went to the museum of modern art. i also spent some time in a few of vienna's amazing parks, sampled their famous "sacher torte" (dense chocolate cake that was first created at a hotel in vienna), and wandered around because it was such a beautiful day. eventually, drew and i were able to meet back up in the evening and, of all places, guess where we ended up? that's right, starbucks. i'm not sure how he did it, but drew was able to go a whole month without starbucks here in prague. so, of course, we had to visit when we found one in vienna.

the next morning, we woke up early to go hear the famous vienna boys choir perform at a catholic mass. they sounded amazing, but unfortunately we weren't the only tourists who tried to take advantage of this free event (how can they charge for holy mass?), so we were left standing in the lobby of the church. that afternoon we visited the hundertwasser-krawinhaus, which is a 15 apartment complex designed by a contemporary artist. i can't really describe it with words, so pictures will have to do.

we then spent the rest of the afternoon at the schonburn palace, which was the summer palace where the hapsburgs lived, and also where marie antoinette spent a lot of time, and where the movie took place. it was gorgeous and we could have spent the whole day there. they had emaculate gardens that stretched for miles, the reminded me of the gardens in alice and wonderland. also on the grounds was a state of the art greenhouse and a zoo. we were sad to leave vienna because it was so pretty, and we both agree that we could have spent much more time there.

so that wraps up the weekend. monday we had classes, and today we had the day off because the school was closed to prepare the pipes for the winter (or something). we went to the john lennon wall, which is a giant wall that during communist regime was a representation of peace fueled by lennon's music. the wall is covered in graffiti, stating mantras of peace and love. several times, the soviets painted over the graffiti, but it kept being repainted by the czech people each time.

we then went to a restaurant that a teacher of mine recommended for their hot chocolate. i ordered this as my drink, but when it arrived i found out that it was literally hot chocolate- it tasted like warm brownie batter. nonetheless, it was a really cool place to eat at. it probably sounds like we eat out a lot, because we're always writing about different restaurants, but i promise we really don't. we only eat out about once a week.

the rest of the week looks pretty quiet. it's supposed to rain a lot, so we might visit the museum of communism and a few art galleries. this weekend we are going to cesky krumlov for the day, i won't say too much about that now because i really don't know too many of the details. the only thing i've heard is that it reminds people of a town in a fairy tale.

we miss you all, and we love hearing about what's happening back home. we're sad to miss sam's 2nd birthday on sunday, but that just means that you bergens will have to send us lots of photos.

love, alie

dobry den!

2007-09-25T10:43:00.000-07:00

hi friends. it's been a quiet week so far. this past weekend we had amazing weather, so we spent so much time outside. we did our homework in a park, explored the nooks and crannies of the city, and did a lot of walking. actually, we do a lot of walking every day. i especially enjoy walking from our dorm, down the big hill, and into the city. it's about a 45 minute walk, but it usually takes longer because there is so much to discover along the way. walking back up the hill to our dorm is another story...

monday we went to a soccer game. soccer is huge here, so it was a lot of fun. this coming weekend we are going to vienna, austria from friday until sunday. AIFS provides a hotel for our group to stay in, so we are looking forward to nicer beds, hot showers, and an atmosphere different from the dorms.

speaking of dorm living, since this is a first for the both of us, we are adapting quite well. we do a lot of our own cooking. which is saying a lot given that we only have a hotplate, and is saying even more given the fact that the two of us are no wolfgang puck or emeril. we've been getting creative and have managed a few successful experiments. the roommate situation isn't too bad, and we enjoy having people around all the time, for the most part. however, i do miss my bed and having a little more privacy, but i can absolutely handle living with Jenn for 3 more months. heck, i lived with 8 girls at a time for 6 months, i think i can handle just one.

today was a rainy day, and neither of us had class. so what did we do? we took a break from the every day explorations and stayed in all day to watch the beginning of the 3rd season of lost. it was relaxing.

lastly, we finalized our plans for italy! we'll be in rome from october 19-23, and florence from the 23-26. a friend from church and a friend from school are coming with us. we're so excited!

peace and love,
alie

wine, napoleon, and wacky tobacky...

2007-09-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

hey everyone, drew here...

this past weekend, as you all know from my past entry, aifs took us on a trip to moravia. while we were there we explored the city of brno, which is almost the equivalent to prague, but smaller. moravia is known for it's wine, so when we went into brno there were little booths set up throughout the square serving young wine. young wine is exactly what it means... wine that hasn't been able to ferment for very long. it has a pale yellow color and it is very sweet.

on saturday we went to a napoleonic battlefield where napoleon once commanded his soldiers. it was a remarkable thought to be standing on the ground where napoleon once stood. we then went to a wine cellar that was located in a quaint little town. there we tried 5 different wines, 2 white and 3 red. i liked one of the reds so much, that i purchased a bottle for 5 dollars.

then on sunday, our last day in moravia, we explored a beautiful church called "the pearl of moravia." it was so stunning. it literally took my breath away.

following the church, we spelunked through a series of caves. the stalactites and stalacmites were so odd because of their size and shape. the caving ended with a boat ride out of the mouth of the cave. in some areas in the underground river in the cave, the waters reached 50 meters. it was kind of eerie to think that we were over such great depths in such a confined place in this little puny boat. nonetheless, it was still amazing.

we are back in prague now, and happy to be home.

-drew

ok it's alie now. this week we started our real classes. on monday, we actually had both classes together. we started with a literature course that has us reading different pieces of literature that take place in prague and in specific sites around the city. each class we meet at a different site which is the setting for what we have just read as homework.

the next class was a contemporary czech culture class. this class really focuses on how communism has affected the current generations of people; music, art, architecture, and especially lifestyles. that was monday. thankfully we both had tuesday off, which was much needed because we had a lot of errands to do (laundry, groceries, trip planning, etc). we planned our trip for fall break, and it looks like rome and florence it is.

this morning, i had an art and architecture class and drew picked me up from school with a picnic packed and plans to go to the largest public park in the city. the park, petrin hill, is situated on the highest hill in prague, and therefore overlooks the whole city. it had some amazing views, beautiful rose gardens, and it was nice to spend some time in a quiet environment, away from the buzz off the city.

tomorrow i have one more class and drew has 2. this weekend we are going to a soccer match (football as it is called here). it should be pretty intense since soccer is so major here. riots and fights are no rare occasion at these games.

in some random news, we have both been craving hummus and we found some in an organic cafe the other day! we've since had it twice. also, my roommate and i have been getting along great, and so has drew with his, but this evening after we came home (from a great vietnamese restaurant, by the way), drew went to go to bed but his roommate and some friends were smoking the wacky tobacky and now his room smells horrible. this has potential to get really annoying, so if you could pray for him, that would be great.

we have been talking about how grateful we are to have each other on this trip, and we are really growing individually and as a couple. miss and love you all.

-alie

pick pocketters beware...

2007-09-12T01:29:00.000-07:00

hey friends,

as some of you know, alie and i were pretty serious about finding a church once we got settled here in prague. we felt that it was vital to find an organized place of worship where we could interact with a community of believers. this past sunday we were able to find a place that met those standards. the church is called prague christian fellowship. it offers sermons in english and it has a very diverse congregation of about 75-100 people. while we were there, alie and i met 2 really friendly guys, john and ben. john actually lives in our dorm so we get to see him regularly. and because we are in such close quarters, it's really easy to schedule plans with him. we have already gotten the chance to spend time with both of them since we met. so it seems like we are finally making some friends who are like minded when it comes to our beliefs. it's pretty refreshing.

if you want to know more about the church, here is the websight:

http://www.praguefellowship.cz/pages/Default.aspx?alias=www.praguefellowship.cz/pages/church

yesterday alie and i rode the subway home from school. since we got out of class during rush hour, the subway cars were packed with people. it was so jammed that i had to run and board the next car back. since they all make the same stops it was no problem, but alie and i were temporarily separated. anyways, to make a long story short, while alie was riding the sub a big guy tried to snatch her wallet out of her purse! so what did she do? she didn't scream, she didn't scurry away, she didn't cry... she back handed the guy in the face with a closed fist!!! and this guy was huge and pretty nasty looking! after she walloped him, he left her alone and she was able to get off at the next stop with all of her possessions safely tucked away in her purse. praise God that she wasn't harmed in any way. there was no reason for that guy to refrain from retaliating. i was so proud of her! she handled herself so well. most people would have freaked out in a situation like that. as kendall said, "yeah alie!!! you kicked his ass!!!"

now we are extra paranoid about our bags.

today we took our final czech exam. with the exam score factored in, my final grade for the class was an a-. alie hasn't found out her grade yet, but i'm sure she did well, also.

well, tomorrow (friday) we leave for moravia at 10:30am (4:30am OH time). moravia is the eastern half of the czech republic. we will be sure to take alot of pictures and post them as well. we return back to prague sunday evening.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Ez-map.png

hope everyone is doing well. you are all constantly in our prayers.

love,
drew

my stomping grounds are castles and forts

2007-09-09T03:40:00.000-07:00

hey all,

so yesterday aifs took us on a castle tour where we we explored two castles: orlik and zvikov. both of these castles were built during the 13th century, so you can imagine how fascinating they were. the first castle had been refurbished a few times, and so the furniture and decor was from as early as the 15th century and as late as the early 1900s. the first castle had cabinets full of swords and uniforms and diaries of past kings and queens who once dwelled there. one of the hallways in orlik had approximately 300 rifles lining the walls, which of course i (drew) thought was awesome. and there were over 2000 deer heads hanging on the walls throughout the castle chambers and hallways.

the second castle, zvikov, was set on a cliff which was 200 feet above a river. zvikov hadn't been refurbished like orlik. it had ruins of the original structure all around the grounds. i thought this castle was much more interesting than the first simply because it hasn't been touched since it was built in the 13th century. also, the actual grounds had been inhabited since the time of Jesus' birth. in one room in particular, there were paintings of the 12 apostles, as well as Jesus on the walls. they were faded and worn, but still very interesting. at the end of the tour, we climbed a set of (really narrow, really steep) stairs that led to the roof of the castle where we were able to see the surroundings of the the castle. alongside of the castle ran the vltava river which was lined with a vast forest. it was really beautiful.

in other news, alie's friend kate (weiant) visited prague last night. kate is student teaching on an army base in germany, approximately 2 hours away. they had dinner together and walked around prague castle. i was really happy that she was able to catch up with an old friend. she had a good time, and it was a breath of fresh air for her to hang out with a like minded friend.

as for me, i'm slowly beginning to pick up on the czech language. it's a really difficult language to learn because they use very few vowels. our teacher often says, "czechs don't need vowels." he says it in a joking way. i really do like the intensive czech course, but i'm anxiously waiting for the rest of my classes to begin on monday the 17th. i'm excited to study in a place where classical music is so popular. in fact, the other day during class we had our window open and the czech philharmonic (who's building is nextdoor) was practicing. it made me smarter (haha)! it's also really crazy to look out your school window and see a castle standing high on a hill.

overall this place is pretty amazing, so you should definitely come visit! it's starting to feel more and more like home as every day passes. but it will never feel like medina. i miss and love everyone! i'll post again soon.

love,
drew

Settling In...

2007-09-05T00:57:00.000-07:00

Hello friends and family! We started school on Monday, we're taking an intensive Czech language class for the first two weeks. It's really not as "intense" as they make it sound though, it's only from 2-6:30. That means that we have the whole morning to explore. The czech language has some letters that make sounds which we do not have in the english language. One of them is where you roll your "r" while making a "j" sound. (By the way, everyone from Drew's class keeps telling me that he's the best in the class and that he is the only one who can pronounce things correctly!)

We live 10 minutes from the castle, and across the street is a monastary. Here is our dorm... can we say communism?

Yesterday morning we explored our neighborhood and found that we sit on top of a mountain overlooking the city. Here is the view from across the street:

If you look on the left side of this photo you can see the castle.

And here are two photos of the monastary across the street. One is of the church entrance and the other is from a little lower on the mountain looking up:

This is what we walk past to get to school:

You can see the castle again in that last photo. We haven't had a chance yet to actually go see it close up, but we pass by it several times a day. It was built in the 13th century. Crazy.

These photos do not do prague justice at all. So you really just need to come visit us :)

We're Here!

2007-09-02T08:50:00.001-07:00

After a very fast week in London and Munich, we are finally getting settled in Prague. The past few days have been filled with lots of bus tours and walking tours (and jet lag). The group we're with is all very friendly and they definitely like to party. We are trying to find some people who are a little less wild to hang out with, which has been a lot harder than I (Alie) expected. Of course we are still just beginning to get to know people, so I know that with time I will start to make better friends. So if you're the praying type, some prayers in that area would be much appreciated.

On to the fun stuff...

The first day in London was a major blur. We arrived in 6:45AM and had no activities planned except for a welcome cocktail party at 6PM. We walked around Kensington, where a lot of the museums are and we went to Kensington Park. This is where Princess Diana's palace is and it was a really pretty park.

That night we went to Notting Hill for dinner. The next day we had tours of Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, and various other London tourist spots. After that we walked around an area called Covent Garden and Oxford street, where we ate at a pub, so Drew could get some fish and chips) and did some shopping (Crystal, Drew bought a pair of jeans from TopShop, I knew you'd be proud). Aside from that, we haven't really spend much money (except for the food in London was SO expensive).

We finished the second day by going to a small cafe by our hotel. The next morning we left for Munich at 5:30AM! What they didn't mention to us before leaving the US was that we were allowed 2 checked bags and 2 carry ons from the US to London, but to out of London we were only allowed 1 checked bag and 1 very small carry on! The fee was 60 pounds, which is close to $120! Somehow, we were EXTREMELY lucky and didn't get charged for our extra bags! We did have to consilidate carry ons, but that was the last of our worries.

We had an afternoon tour of Munich where we got to see the Olympic Stadium and downtown. It was very small, but really pretty. I (Alie) didn't have the energy to go to any "beergartens" like most people that night, but Drew got to go to a much less touristy beer hall to experience some of the infamous German beer.

The next day we left for Prague, with a short stop at the Pilsner Brewery and Plsen, and now here we are! I'm sure we will be posting tons of photos soon enough.

10 hours and counting

2007-08-27T21:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our Prague Blog (clever huh?)! Originally Drew and I were going to keep separate travel blogs, but realizing that we'd be writing about a lot of the same activities made us reconsider. I hope we can find the time to update this often instead of sending mass emails.

I have nothing exciting to report just yet. A month ago I remember thinking that this summer was passing so slowly and that the time for our big trip was ages away. We leave for the airport in 10 hours. Needless to say, today has been an overwhelming day, and it's still not quite over. I have constant to-do lists running through my head and a midnight trip to a 24 hour super store is due shortly. Thanks for checking in on us and we hope to hear from you soon!