Strasbourg: Strawesome

I spent the weekend in Strasbourg with Hannah, Jenn, and Luke. Our hostel was huge and actually really nice. As far as I can tell I there were no bed bugs and I haven't developed scabbies. We spent most of the time just walking around the city. The main part is surrounded by a canal so we walked all around canal and it was really pretty. The buildings is Strasbourg has amazing architecture and they were all different colors. My favorite building was the Cathedral. It was a 16th century gothic style cathedral. We climbed to the top of it where we could seen an amazing view of the entire city. This was my favorite part of the trip. I will put up facebook pictures tomorrow. Another pretty part of Strasbourg is petite France. I don't know how to explain this part of Strasbourg other than to say it was just really scenic. The buildings looked like something out of a fairy tale. We left this afternoon and got back to LUX around 5. For some reason, the police have been making an appearance more frequently. On the train ride home they walked through all the cars and made everyone show their IDs or passports. I've also been seeing them on the LUX trains. Just thought I'd let you all know. I'm exhausted and going to bed. Goodnight

Fondue and Weekend Plans

Today after class I had to go into LUX city to get an xray as part of registering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As far as I know, Im TB free and will be allowed to stay in the country. After my xray I went go buy a train ticket for the weekend. Hannah, Jenn, Luke, and I are going to Strasbourg, France after class tomorrow and we'll be back Sunday.
Tonight I watched Grey's in french with english subtitles. I don't think I learned much from it though because I just read the subtitles instead of trying to listen to the French. Danie made us chocolate fondue and we dipped fruit in it. It was absolutely delicious! We also watched a french comedian but I obviously didn't understand any of the jokes.

Train troubles

Last night I spent over 2 hours trying to get home from the Chateau (it usually take 20 min). I went to catch the 9pm train and it never showed so I waited for the 930 and around 935 an announcement came on, in french of course, that said something about the train not working and that all people waiting for it should find a bus. As we were leaving to find a bus, the train came, so we got on. It went 3 stops and then turned around. Apparently the train before ours had no electricity and was stuck on the track so no more trains could use the track. We got dropped off in some rogue town, had to walk to the bus station, took a bus to Lux city, and then did a little backtracking and took the train from Lux city to Noertzange where I live. Complicated but I made it home.

Brussels and the Beginning of the Week

On Saturday afternoon, we left Bruges and took a bus to Brussels. Hannah, Jenn, and I checked into The Moon Hotel. It sounds like a pretty sketch place but it was actually pretty decent. Definitely better than our hostel the night before, and I didn't get bed bugs so I'm happy. We spent the rest of the night on Saturday walking around Brussels, visiting different monuments. Brussels has one main square called "The Grand Place" that is absolutely beautiful. All the buildings were made with tons and tons of details during the Medieval period. I took lots of pictures so I will put those of facebook ASAP.
Brussels is known for their statue of a peeing boy. People come from all around the world to see it so I was expecting it to be some phenomenal piece of art but I was totally wrong. It's literally maybe 2 feet tall. When I saw a crowd gathering around it, I thought it was a joke. I'm not really sure how it become so famous.
Friday night we ate dinner at some overpriced restaurant that tricked us into thinking we were getting a deal. We walked down a street that was really narrow and had probably 20 restaurants on it. Since there's so much competition, the restaurants have trouble filling their dining rooms so they have workers who stand outside and try to lure you inside. They brought down the price of our meal and gave us a free drink but the food wasn't very good. I had chicken for the first time since I've been here though.
At night all the Miami students went to Delirium Cafe.It's one of the bigger pubs in Brussels. It's fun going places with a bunch of Miami people but I'd rather only travel in smaller groups because it makes things a lot easier.
On Sunday morning we toured around Brussels some more, ate another Belgian waffle, and headed home. The train ride was 3 hours but it actually went really fast. When we got home we ate Chinese with our host family. Chinese food is a little bit different in Europe (the rice is a lot smaller) but it was very tasty. At night I skyped with my Parents for awhile. It was really good to talk with them.
On Monday I had Art History, International Studies, and French. All of my classes are becoming more interesting. After class I had to go to the doctor as part of the process of registering with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was incredibly awkward and luckily only lasted 10 minutes. Hannah, Luke and I got out of the doctor 3 minutes before out train was due to arrive so we decided to run to try to catch it. This involved us running down an alley we assumed was a shortcut only to find out it was a dead end. So, we jumped over the wall ("them tains, they don't wait") which was higher that I originally thought. By the time we got to the station, Hannah and I could barely breath, but we made it.
At night, we went to a Philharmonic concert in LUX city. I honestly usually don't enjoy concert but this one was pretty good. They had a guest percussionist who made unique sounds with his instruments. He was my favorite. If you were wondering they don't do standing ovations in Europe. At least not in Luxembourg. Instead, they just clap forever. We honestly clapped for 10 minutes. And the main violinist kept leaving the stage and coming back for more applause. I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen in the US.

Belgium: Part 1.

I planned on blogging everyday, but as you can see it hasn't exactly happened. I started so strong and fell hard. I'll try to be better this week.
Last time I blogged, I was about to have bible study. Study went really well! There were about 15 people there which is a lot considering there are only 130 people in the MUDEC program. We're studying Joshua for now, so that should be good. We are planning on having study every Tuesday night, so I'll let you know how that goes.
The rest of the school week went well. Classes seem really long and pretty boring, but I'm hoping they'll pick up as time goes on. In 2.5 weeks I'll be in Italy for my Art History class trip. It still hasn't sunk in that I'm in Europe yet, I'm counting on Italy to make it feel real.
This weekend I want to Bruges and Brussels. The school planned the trip for Friday and Saturday so we took buses to Bruges on Friday. They planned for us to stop at a brewery along the way and I assumed we would get a tour and then a taste but basically I was wrong. We went in and sat down, the brewery owners brought us beer, practically forced us to drink it, then we left. They gave us 3 different types. The first was white beer which was actually pretty good and the other two were thicker which I didn't really like. The brewery is really new and the owner just created her own brand of beer that is made with herbs so it doesn't cause headaches. Interesting fact.
When we left the Brewery, we got on the bus and drove an hour to Bruges. I stayed in a hostel room with Jenn. The hostel wasn't too bad. It was pretty much what I expected a hostel to be. I didn't get bed bugs, so I'm happy. At night, we went out to eat, and then went to some random pub. When we got back to the Hostel, the hostel worker (who is from the US and only a couple years older) took a big group of us to one of his favorite pubs. It was pretty much just like all the other pubs in Europe. I hate the fact that it's legal to smoke pretty much anywhere here. No matter where I go, I always leave smelling like an ash tray. I took a shower tonight and my hair still smells.
The next morning, we took a walking tour of Bruges. It's a very cute place. There are lots of cobblestone roads and buildings inspired by medieval times. I'll put pictures on facebook soon. It was frigid out that made the tour slightly painful but it was still fun. Remember in my last post when I said we were going to tour a chocolate factory? Lies. We walked in to two chocolate factories and had a taste of a small piece, but there was no tour. It wasn't what I was expecting.
Before leaving Bruges, we ate the most delicious Belgian Waffles with warm chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. Probably one of my favorite foods. Then we walked around a little bit more, window shopped, then headed back to the buses.
I'm very tired so I'm going to go to bed, and I'll post about Brussels tomorrow. Goodnight.

First Day of Classes

I survived the first day of all of my classes. Art history is going to be hard to get through. My professor is from Belgium and has a thick accent and the material is dry so I will be fighting to stay awake. The only good part is our class is taking a trip to Florence and a few other cities in Italy. After art history I had International Studies which seems like it's going to be really good. My professor is nice and seems fun and the class as a whole will be interesting. I'm taking beginning French which should be a cake walk since I've already taken 3 years in high school. This morning I had my History class about the rise and fall of Hitler. The course material is really heavy but I'm excited because we will be taking a trip to Cracow, Prague, and Auschwitz. I also had Political science today. I can't really get a good gage for how that will be.
I just finished lunch and now I'm in the basment of the chateau planning some trips. I'm going to Bruges and Brussels this weekend (in Belgium). The school planned a trip to Bruges and then they're dropping people off in Brussels. We're going on a tour of a chocolate factory. Obviously that's what I'm most excited for.
I'll be at the chateau late tonight because some of us are starting a bible study so we're going out to dinner at 6 then having bible study afterward.

SAM

Oh PS: This is Sam

A Day with Our Host Family

This morning we were able to sleep in since orientation is finished and classes don't start until Monday. We told Carlo and Danie that if we weren't up by 10 they could send the kids in to wake us up for breakfast. Mistake. Pitt and Sam came in and tried their best to get us up. They used the scream-loud-shake-the-sleeper-rip-the-covers-off tactic. It worked on Hannah and Jenn, but not me. I slept through breakfast and got up at 11.
Later in the day Pitt, Max, Sam, Lynn, Hannah, Jenn, and I went sledding. There isn't even an inch of snow on the ground so sledding didn't work too well but it was still fun.
After sledding, Carlo, Jenn, and I went to see Avatar. I was pleasantly surprised. I actually really liked it. The only bad part was that the movie was in English with German and French subtitles so when the Na'vi spoke in their native language the only subtitles we had were in French and German. In the US that part would have had English subtitles. I understood the gist of what they were saying because I picked up on some of the French, but I want to watch it again in English.
Something strange about the bathroom at the movie theater was that there is awkwardly a window from the women's bathroom to the men's bathroom. When I walked out from where the stalls were to go wash my hands, I looked into what I thought was a full length mirror and saw Carlo. Naturally I had a slight panic as I wondered if I was accidentally in the men's restroom. I mean it is Europe, the signs are different, I could have gotten confused? Anyway, I did a double take and realized it was actually a window into the men's restroom. Weird? Yes, I should say so.
On that note, classes start tomorrow so it's time for me to go to bed. Over and out.

Medieval Castle and a Winery

Last night I tried to upload pictures for over 2 hours but the connection was slow and it never finished uploading so I'll try again today. Hopefully you'll be able to see those soon. They're pretty much all scenery and I know you'd rather see pictures with people in them but I haven't taken many of those so you'll just have to wait and be happy with scenery for now.
Yesterday was our last day of orientation (YAY!) so that means no more strange lectures. When our lectures were finished we broke up into groups and my group went to see a Medieval castle. It was beautiful! Hopefully you'll be seeing those pictures on facebook very soon. The castle was high up on a mountain/hill so the view from the top was also beautiful. However, if there was a fire in the castle I'm pretty sure everyone would die because 1. it was huge and had confusing winding hallways, 2. there were a very limited number of exits, and 3. the majority of the building is made of wood. Anyway, that's just a side note. One of the neat things about the view from the top is that you could see that the city is still being built around the castle's moat.
After we left the castle, we took an hour bus ride to a winery. Yes, everyone fell asleep on the bus again. The winery was the biggest and oldest in Europe (I believe that's what the man in charge told us) They make mostly white wine because in Luxembourg only 9% of the wine is red. Apparently the climate is better for white wine. We went on a long, cold tour of the wine cellar but it was interesting to see the whole wine making process. I didn't realize how much work and precision goes into making one bottle of wine. At the end we had a taste of some kind of white wine and some kind of sparking wine. Both were very good. I thought about buying a bottle and bringing it home for the parents (you're welcome mom and dad) but I realized I won't be able to carry it on and it'll probably break in my suitcase. So, if you'd like some European wine, help me come up with a returning home plan and it'll be all yours.
I ate dinner in LUX city with some people I just met....not even sure I know their names (Oops). But I know they go to Miami and are in the MUDEC program. Our dinner was actually really gross. We ate Kabobs which is basically a gyro if you've ever been to the gyro shop in Columbus. I don't like gyros therefore I didn't like kabobs. I of couse got the Kabob American which from the picture looked like a humburger and fries in a wrap but when the server brought it to me I was unpleasantly surprised. I probably should have been weary of the food, the restaurant was called "Snack Istanbul". Not exactly my cup of tea, but you have to give me props for trying it.
When I got home I got to skye with Jacquie and Jared and then my host family invited Hannah, Jenn, and I for tea. Tea quickly turned into ice cream when they found out none of us are too fond of tea. I was happy about the switch. It was delicious ice cream. I slept in this morning (obviously a plus) and I'm about to go eat lunch.
A Bientôt

Tour of the city

We spent the morning in the chateau hearing more lectures. They weren't as boring today so that's good. We "ate" some unidentifiable soup for lunch. It was sick nasty. I will not be eating that again. After lunch we split in to groups and got on buses to tour the city. We visited the American Battle of the Bulge cemetery and the German cemetery as well. I saw General Patton's grave as well as many unknown soldiers' graves. We then took a bus tour of the city but I fell asleep so I don't remember much of it. When the bus tour finished we were forced to do a walking tour. It was maybe 20 degrees and we were outside for 2 hours. My fingers are still thawing out. For dinner tonight I ate in Differdange at another Italian restaurant and then hung out at Das Boot with a lot of Miami students. All in all it was a fun day but I'm exhausted. Tomorrow we're doing more touring and visiting a winery.

First day in the city

This morning we rode the train in to Differdange to the Chateau (the castle where classes are held). There are only two other guys with the program who are staying in Noertzange (where Jenn, Hannah, and I are living) so we'll ride the train with them everyday.
When we got to the chateau we had a welcome session followed by 2 long lectures. By the end, I was literally holding my ele lids open so I wouldn't fall asleep. We had lunch all together and it wasn't exactly delicious but it got the job done. We had a few more lectures then we were able to explore the chateau and walk around differdange. The Chateau is really nice but it's smaller than I pictured. Differdange is really pretty. I took a couple pictures but not many so I'll talk more tomorrow then post them either on here or on facebook.
We had to go to the town hall today to petition our stay. Good news, they're letting everyone live here. Really all they did was copy our passports and make us sign a paper.
We went into Lux city for the first time today. It was absolutely freezing but still fun to walk around. They still had all of their Christmas lights up so it was really pretty and the buildings are beautiful. We ate dinner and some Italian restaurant...I got pizza. I'm really branching out, I know. After we walked around some more, we got back on the train and headed home.
We hung out with our host family and played cards with the kids. They have kept a book with stories and pictures from all the students who have lived here. It was neat to look at it and see what the students had to say. Basically the consensus is the family is great and the time flies. I'm sure I'll be signing the book in no time.
For whomever may be reading this: I hope your week is going well and I miss you very much! I love you all!


PS- The theme verse for the trip is (decided by Hannah and me) Joshua 1:9- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you WHEREVER you go."

Also sidenote: Kelsey if you are reading this, sam and lynn eat bologna in the shape of a panda. It even has panda spots. Try not to cry.

And so it begins...

Hannah and I boarded our plane in Columbus on Tuesday around 6pm. We sat on the runway for ah hour and a half as the plane got deiced over and over again. When we landed in Philadelphia we had 15 minutes to catch our connecting flight to Amsterdam and we passed a sign that that it would be 20 minutes to walk to our gate. I figured we wouldn't make it, but we ended up being the lase two people who boarded the plane. By the time we got on, there was no room to store our carry-ons in the overhead bins so they stayed shoved under our legs the whole trip. I only slept for 30 or so minutes but the plane ride seemed to go surprisingly fast. The one time I did doze off, I woke up to someone screaming "NO! NO! NO!"- naturally I thought the plane was being hijacked. Turns out it was some kid having a bad dream.
We got to Amsterdam at 10:30am European time, 4:30am Ohio time. Of course we decided it would be a good time for a McDonald's lunch. Little fyi, chicken nuggets don't taste the same in Europe. I'm thinking they probably use better meat-not so sure I appreciate them. Also, they charge you for ketchup. The rest of Amsterdam was pretty uneventful.
We got to Lux at 6pm and our host mom, Danie, picked us up at the airport. She and her family are really nice. The rest of the family includes Carlo (host dad), Pitt (13), Max (10), Sam (3) and Lynn (1). All of the kids are adorable. Carlo and Danie cooked us dinner. We ate quiche which doesn't sound like something I would like but it was actually pretty tasty. We spent the rest of the night unpacking and organizing our room. Hannah, Jenn, and I live on the third floor, sharing a bathroom and bedroom. The house is really nice and our room is very cozy. Our host family has really taken the extra steps to make us feel at home.
I'm exhausted so I'm going to be now. Tomorrow we're going to the chateau and touring the city. Tell you more later. It's only 5:10pm at home...never thought I could be tired this early.