That's all folks

I leave tomorrow, and when I look back at the past 4 months I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of it. Sure I had to do school work and it is hard adjusting to a new culture that I did not necessarily come to terms with on every aspect, but I would do it again in a heart beat. I got to see a small portion of the world and got a better understanding of who I am and where I stand on this enormous world. The same goes for understanding how the United States is perceived as well.

I have been fortunate enough to have this opportunity to see and experience numerous cultures and several threads of history. I wish every one could have such an opportunity. To learn, grow, and change. I have been enriched and encourage everyone to try and see the world with an open mind if they get the chance. I would like to say a special thanks to all of my family and friends who have stayed in touch or just read the blog, and a special thanks to my family for the financial support as well.

I know I have not directly stated what I have learned but that could fill volumes, and I want to keep this post short, but feel free to ask me if you see me(or e-mail me). However, I will leave a list of the 5 things that I will miss the most about my travels and 5 things I definitely won't miss.

5 things I will miss (in no particular order)

1. The various friends that I have made and the differences that brought us together. (shout out to Khaled, Mohamed, and Abdul!)

2. Trying new foods in new areas of the world.

3. The delusion that girls won't talk to me because they don't speak English and thinking that when they curse at me they are actually saying very naughty things.

4. The freedom and ability to travel to different cultures, locations, and what seemed like times on a relatively cheap budget and when I wanted to.

5. The sense of wonder and newness that I got to experience all over again. Like when I was a kid.

5 things I won't miss (in no particular order)

1. The copious amounts of dog crap, or at least what I hope is dog crap, on the sidewalk.

2. Being taken advantage of because I'm different and can not speak the local language. (I think there is a lesson on being charitable and kind in there to people of different nationalities, ethnicities, and races especially in a place like the melting pot of the U.S.A.)

3. The geriatric parades that would block the sidewalk.

4. The smog and pollution of a big city.

5. The lack of convenience, Internet, and video games

See you all State side soon.

Czech me out!

Yes the title stinks I know, but I thought it was slightly clever. By clever I mean that I saw it on a bunch of t-shirts and stickers and made it my own.

So, on December 14th my roommate and I arrived in Prague, Czech Republic at about 6 in the morning. We took the night train there and slept on the uncomfortable seats. When we got off we toured the city on foot, of course. Prague is a lot like Budapest but smaller, cleaner, people are nicer, and a little more touristy. The city is laid out in a similar fashion to Budapest. There is a large river that splits the river into two parts, a hilly side with castle and a flat more urban side. However, the old town of Prague is on the flat side, and there numerous old towers around the city as well.

We spent our time walking around mostly old town, saw Tyn Church in the center of town along with the astrological clock on the old town hall tower. We went to the top of this tower as well to see the breathtaking views. Earlier we went to the hill laden side of the river to walk around the park and the castle area. This castle is actually in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest castle compound in the world. I said compound not castle. While we were there we walked around the various courtyards and churches. Then we stopped into a small cafe and were promptly ripped off for a cup of tea and a ham sandwich that tasted like paper. We were a little worried about the prices from then on, but were reassured when we got to the old town square where a huge Christmas gathering was occurring. It was like the one in Bratislava but a little bigger and slightly more magical just because we were surrounded by the towers which are extremely imposing but inspiring nonetheless.

The town square was where it was happening. The one night we were there we feasted like kings upon bratwurst, sausage, roasted almonds, goulash soup, and pork. All of it was delicious and heart clogging. Most of it only was about 2 dollars and came in very generous portions. We then took in a jazz/blues show in a little club that, we think, B.B. King played in behind Tyn Church. It was very um... jazzy. I enjoyed it.

We then woke up the next day, Friday, shopped a little bit, burnt some time in the pub, and caught the night train back to the sister city of Budapest. Check the pics foo!

Old Town Square with the Astrological Clock in the foreground and Tyn Church in the background.

A closer look at the Astrological Clock on the side of the Old Town Hall.

Tyn Church as seen from the Old Town Hall tower.

My goofy face with Tyn Church in the background.

The festivities below in the square. LOOK AT HOW THEY TREMBLE BEFORE ME!! Does anyone notice how I like to pretend like I am important and awe inspiring?

This is the river that divides the city into two. The bridge is named the Charles bridge (seriously). After all, I am well known and loved by many all around the globe. The bridged is lined with statues of me on each side, or of saints which ever you choose to believe. In the background the church can be seen on the hill, and St. Nicholas church is off to the left. It has the green roof and spire.

The guards stationed outside of 1 of the 3 gates to the castle's compound.

The changing of the guards occurs every hour on the hour at each gate. we say it at two different gates, and I can vouch for the fact that it is the same.

A parting picture of the river from the castle.

Who needs a car. (Bratislava)

On Sunday the 10th, I went to Bratislava, Slovakia for the day. Why you ask? Quite simply because I can and it was cheap. It only cost me 20 dollars round trip to take the train and I only used 50 dollars for the day when I got there, and I had to try and spend that. That was for a copious amount of food, sights, and transportation.

While in Bratislava I went to Devin Castle which is in actually just outside of the capital. This ancient castle has been there since the Romans, but parts of it dated back to the 5th century B.C. It was right next to the Danube and is actually one of the castles I saw from the hydrofoil when I went to Vienna. After that my friends and I went to the old town center of Bratislava and were pleasantly surprised by the Christmas festivities. There were a bunch of stands set up in the town square selling delicious food and small presents. Oh and delicious hot mead. Man that stuff is sooo good. There was also a large Christmas tree set up in the square right next to the church. Right next to the tree there was a stage set up for choir and dance performances. Most of the time was spent here and just walking around the rest of old town. It was relaxing and very gratifying. Slovakia is actually very pretty.

Well I have 2 finals done and one more to go and then I think I am going to Prague tomorrow until early Saturday. Fun. Then I get to come home on Sunday. So much traveling.

The Palace in Bratislava.

The Palace at night.

Devin Castle

Me in front of the larger part of Devin Castle.

Looking across the Danube from the main part of the Devin Castle.

The Devin country side seen from the castle.

The streets of old town Bratislava.

The Christmas tree in the square. Happy Holidays!

I'll post pics of Prague once I get back. Cheers.

It's been a while

That's right kiddies, it has been a while since I have updated this blog. I have been busy working on my finals. As fun as it is to wirte a 10 page paper on Immanuel Wallerstein's World Systems Theory and how it relates to the relationship between the semi-periphery nation of the Republic of Korea and the core nation of the United States as evident through GDP statistics and historical politics, I have decided to take a break and sit down to chat with you. So come and grab a seat by the fire my friend. You have to imagine one, or you can go so far as to start one in the trash bin. Whatever works for you.

Last week, Alex, my roommate, had family over from the US. His parents and sister came over to see the sites and were nice enough to treat me to dinner a few times. During their visit we went to see the interior of the Parliament and even took in the famous opera show Madam Butterfly. All in all, it was a good, enriching time. I would like to say thank you to Alex's parents who were super nice and more than generous.

Aside from that I have not been up to too much aside from studying and trying to get these essays out of the way. I have finals from the 11th to the 13th, and then I am off to Prague for a few days. Then on that Sunday I come home! It only seems like I got here a few days ago.

Now here are some pics from the interior of the Parliament. Enjoy!

These are the real crown jewels. The ones in Matyas church are just replicas. You know, it's really hard to build a relationship with a country when she keeps lying to you.

This is the room where all of the government reps meet.

Here is the main starcaise from the main entrance up to the main meeting room.

2 weeks to go. Go Bears 10-2 NFC North champs! Urlacher is my boy. Sorry Dad but your Vikings couldn't cut it, but I still love you.