Part of Prague

It was cool driving through Germany and the Czech Republic on the way to Prague.  It was funny, there would be all these signs/ads in German or Czech and then randomly one in English.  Germany had lots of pine forests, France had lots of fields, and when we reached Prague I found that it had lots of cool buildings.  The bus station wasn't in the best shape, though.  Because it had been hard to sleep on the bus, when we arrived at the station, a little before 6am, I was exhausted and couldn't wait to get to Nora's friend's house, where we were staying.  But that wouldn't happen for over an hour.  For one thing, the bus had gotten in a little early.  Worse than that, though, I had told Nora's friend the wrong time to meet us at the bus station.  I had assumed there was a time difference between Paris and Prague, and I didn't find out otherwise until right before the trip.  Consequently, I'd had Nora tell her friend the bus would get in at 7:15, when it was actually supposed to arrive at 6:15.  We had no way to contact her, so we just had to wait.

We sat inside the bus station, but it was still cold.  Around 7 the bus station food shops began to open.  I kept watching the people who came in, wondering if each woman was Lucie, Nora's friend.  At 7:30 the real Lucie came, and we took the Prague metro to her apartment (which was on the other side of the city from the bus station).  Once there we ate breakfast; I was so tired I ate with my eyes closed, practically sleep-eating.  Afterward I took a much-needed nap.  A few hours later Nora woke me up so we could go into the city center.  I was still pretty tired, but the sleep had definitely helped.

Lucie had the day off from work, so she took us around, which was good because I at least wasn't up to navigating a new city by myself (Nora was much more awake that day than I was).  Now that the sun was up it was really hot out.  First we went to the castle area, which was a complex of buildings (like a palace and a huge cathedral) and not an actual castle.  It was on a hill, so we had a good view of the city.  Later on we walked across Charles Bridge, which has lots of statues of saints on it.

I don't really remember a lot about that day except walking a lot and being tired, hot, hungry, and thirsty.  Besides Czech Lucie spoke Swedish and English, and since her Swedish was the better of the two, she mostly talked to Nora in that language.  Because I know absolutely no Swedish, I couldn't really follow the conversation, so I didn't always know what we were seeing or where we were headed.  Eventually we went to a pizzeria for lunch.  I was so looking forward to drinking a glass of water--but when the water came, it was fizzy water, which was pretty disappointing.  Apparently that's the norm there, and regular water is pretty expensive.  I swished it around to take some of the fizz out, and that helped, but it still wasn't the same.

After lunch we rode around on trams some and got gelato at one point (I had peach, which was awesome) and later got citronada, which was like lemonade.  At 5-something we headed back to Lucie's apartment.  We got back to her neighborhood after the long metro ride and went to the grocery store.  Although Lucie only got a few things, we were there for a while because the checkout line was so long.  When we finally made it out we went to the post office to buy stamps for the postcards Nora and I had bought in Paris.  Again, we had to wait a really long time, although there we at least got to sit down.  At last we got the stamps and went back to the apartment, around 6:30, and Nora and I both lay down and went right to sleep.

I woke up several times while it was still evening, once because there was a thunderstorm, but I always fell back asleep quickly.  I also woke up a few times overnight and early in the morning, but I ended up sleeping past 10am, and the only reason I woke up then was because there were lots of noisy kids outside (there was a school next door).  I must've gotten over 12 hours of sleep, maybe as many as 13 or 14.  I felt really weird when I woke up, but that wore off, and I felt so much more awake and alive than the day before.

Paris

My flight arrived in Paris only a little late, somehow.  We didn't have to go through customs or anything as far as I remember.  I came out to where all the people were waiting for their friends who'd been on the plane and looked for Nora, but she wasn't there.  I was hungry and tired and in a foreign country, so I freaked out a little.  I just stood off to the side and waited, but all the time I was wondering if something had happened to Nora and trying to think of what I would do if she didn't come.

Then I saw her in the crowd of people, and everything was okay.  She was just late because she'd missed the first train to the airport.  I felt much better, and we went off to our hostel. Nora and the two friends she'd been in Paris with for the past week were staying in a three-person room, and I was in a four-person women-only room upstairs.  I rested a little, and then Nora and I went out to Victor Hugo's house.  It took us a long time to find it, even though we had a map and there were signs supposedly pointing the way.  I didn't mind, though, because I enjoyed just wandering around Paris.  We happened upon a big market and looked at stuff there for a while.  Pretty soon after that we did make it to the house; it was interesting to see, but not that exciting.

We got pizza for lunch and then went to the Louvre, which is free the first Sunday of the month, exactly the day we happened to be there.  We just wanted to see the most famous things, but we kept making mistakes and going the wrong way (the map confused me), so we ended up walking a lot more than we needed to.  Every time we sat down to rest I started to fall asleep.  But it was cool to see so much famous art, and we really barely saw any of what's there, because the Louvre is such a huge place.  I would love to go back for a whole day sometime when I'm not exhausted.

We went back to the hostel when the museum closed, and I finally got to relax.  My sense of time was really skewed, and it felt like it had been a really long day even though it was only early evening.  I went to bed around 9 and slept pretty well.

The next morning I got up and had breakfast with Nora at the hostel.  After the other two girls came down and ate we checked out of our rooms.  I accidentally left my pajamas in my room, but before we left one of the ladies who'd been in the room with me came and found me and told me, which was nice.  We left our luggage at the hostel and headed off to Sacre Coeur, a big white church, which was pretty close by.  It's on a hill, and the view of Paris got better and better as we went up.  When we reached the top we were so high; it was like we were on top of Paris.  Nora and I looked inside and then walked along the edge of the hill until we could see the Eiffel Tower, which was blocked by trees before.

We walked around Sacre Coeur, and as soon as we left the front area there were practically no other people around, which was nice.  We then met back up with the other two girls and walked around the area, Montmarte, which had nice cobblestones streets and pretty houses.  We got crepes at La Maison Rose, a tiny pink cafe.  The weather was beautiful, so it was really nice just walking around.

Nora and I had to be at the bus station to check in for our bus ride to Prague at 3, so we left Montmarte before long and picked up our luggage at the hostel before heading to the bus station.  On the way we stopped at a grocery store to buy dinner, spending only 4.23 total on drinkable yogurt (which Nora introduced me to and I love), a baguette, an apple, and brie.  We made it to the bus station right on time and checked in, and then we just had to wait till our bus left at 4.

Nora had realized that she'd left her iPod charger in the room at the hostel, so she went to look for a place to get internet (on her iPod touch) to email one of her friends, who was staying at the hostel another night, and ask if she could get it.  I stayed with the luggage and ate some brie on rolls we'd taken from the hostel (it was quite good) and then just waited.

After a while our bus pulled up and people started getting on.  Nora had said she would try to be back within half an hour, so after half an hour had passed I started getting worried, both about whether something had happened to Nora and about missing the bus.  I had a plan to ask the bus driver to wait and then tell one of the bus station workers that Nora was missing if she wasn't back by five of 4.  But then, around 3:50, Nora came in.  She'd had a hard time finding somewhere where she got internet, but she finally had, and then she'd hurried back.  We got on the bus, and pretty soon we were off to Prague.

Airport adventure

So, I went to Europe.  It was my first time flying alone, and after I went through security and left my family behind I felt very independent and a little nervous.  I quickly got way more nervous when my backpack didn't come out of the security scanner and the lady watching the scans called someone else over.  I waited while they talked, wondering what in the world could be in my backpack that could cause a problem.  I'd packed everything I needed for 10 days in Europe in there--clothes, a few small guidebooks, shampoo and toothpaste in 3-ounce containers sealed in a plastic bag.  There was nothing wrong with any of that, was there?

They let my backpack out, and a man felt around inside.  "Do you have maple syrup in here?" he asked, and I suddenly remembered that Nora's mom had sent a quart of maple syrup with me as a gift for the friend of Nora's we would be staying with in Prague.  None of us, not Nora's mom, not my mom, not me, had realized that I wouldn't be able to bring that in a carry-on.  I wondered if they would confiscate it, leaving Nora's friend gift-less, but the man just told me, "Next time, put that in your checked luggage" and let me take my backpack back.

Very relieved that I wasn't unwittingly carrying explosives or illegal drugs, I headed to my gate, where I found that my flight had been delayed.  Even after everyone boarded, it still didn't take off for a while; I actually fell asleep while waiting.  So began my trip to Europe.

It's summer

Hi. I don't even know who still reads this, but I have a random half hour to spend, so I thought I'd just write a quick update.

Sophomore year is over. I was done on Monday the 3rd and came home on the 4th. It's a weird feeling, being halfway done with college. It's just not right. I'm really glad to be done with schoolwork, but I miss Houghton. I would have loved to stay for Mayterm, but it didn't work out with my Europe trip. So here I am, back home. I like being home, but of course there are things I don't like too, which I won't get into. It is good to be back.

Unfortunately, I don't have a job. I applied to five places over Easter break, and I hadn't heard from any, so yesterday I stopped by four of them. The first two said they didn't need me, at the third the girl there said the manager would call me (she hasn't yet) and at the fourth the line was too long to wait in. Since I haven't heard anything, I'm assuming none of them want me. The first two (who said they definitely don't need me) were my best options, so now I'm not sure what I'm going to do. A local McDonald's is hiring, but I really really don't want to work there. Mom was suggesting just looking for odd jobs, which is a possibility, but I probably wouldn't make much money doing that.

So far since I've been home I've been really lazy--sleeping a lot, watching Lost (which some of my friends from Houghton recently got me into), playing games with Joyce, reading for fun. And it has been nice just to be able to relax, but I know it'll get old after a while. Last summer I was really bored and unhappy, and I don't want this summer to be like that. So if I can't get a job I'm planning to volunteer at a local animal shelter, which is something I've wanted to do for years. It'll help them out and keep me busy and get me out of the house, even if I won't be making money.

So yeah, I guess that's pretty much it for now. It's warm here, but not hot yet, and I like it.

Lanthorn editors!

Adam and I are going to be editors of the Lanthorn next year! We applied a while ago, and we found out last week that we got the position! It's really exciting, and also kind of daunting, because we're going to have so much responsibility. But it'll be really cool. We even get our own office, complete with a computer. I feel so official.

The semester is almost over; I'm done with exams on May 3rd, and I'm going home on the 4th. I had all my big papers and projects due last week, so now I just have finals. Only two of them are actual tests, though, and only one is cumulative, so it's not going to be a problem. Tomorrow is geology, the cumulative one, and I haven't done much studying yet, so I'd better do that now. Bye!

Next semester's schedule

I'm home! Spring/Easter break starts today; I came home last night, a day early. It's really nice to be here.

Last Friday was course selection day. Here's what I'll be taking next fall:

French Level 1

Fiction

Literature by Women

Horsemanship 1

Writer's Worskshop

The workshop is something writing majors are supposed to take as seniors, but since I'm planning to go to Australia fall of my senior year, I have to take it junior year instead. I'm a little nervous because it's going to be me and a bunch of seniors, so that's kind of intimidating. I'm definitely going to be doing a lot of writing.

Poetry

I've been meaning to post some of the poems I've written for my poetry class for a while, and now that Mom's reminded me I'll actually do it. So here are a few; they're the ones I like best, and/or the ones that the professor liked.

This first one is, obviously, about the power outage I wrote about in the last post.

Power Outage

Total darkness below,

but above, the stars—

I never knew there were so many.

I could stand and stare forever.

When the lights came back on

most of the stars disappeared

and I can’t look at the night sky anymore

without thinking about all the stars I can’t see.

This one is a villanelle.

An Attempt

I tried to write a poem for you

to let you know how things could be.

(But not a word of it was true.)

I tried to show you something new.

I tried so hard to make you see.

I tried to write a poem for you.

I didn’t put in any blue;

of course there’s none, to you, from me.

(But not a word of it was true.)

I gave you more than just a clue—

I gave you the entire key.

I tried to write a poem for you.

I gave you what I thought was due

so that you wouldn’t choose to flee.

I tried to write a poem for you

(but not a word of it was true).

In this next one, the part about my wanting to go to Australia is true, but although there is a possibility that the program won't be offered until fall of 2012, it should be offered fall of 2011, meaning I will be able to go.

Hope

Turning in the paper

hoping for an A-, at least—

and getting it back with a B+.

Walking into the dining hall, starving

hoping there will be good pizza today—

but finding it a sloppy mess.

Getting excited for Australia

hoping the program will be offered—

then hearing it’s been pushed back another year.

Hearing rapid footsteps behind me

hoping it’s you, coming to apologize—

only to see a stranger stride by.

And one more.

Fog

There’s almost nothing to this fog

but it builds up between us

so that I can barely see you.

Yay! The power's out!

On the 16th, around 9:45, I was vacuuming up on the fourth floor of Gillette. Suddenly, the vacuum shut off. And all the lights went off too. It was a power outage, the first time that ever happened while I was at Houghton. It was new and exciting.

There were emergency lights in the dorm halls and stairwells, which was really good. I had been planning to meet people in the campus center at 10, so I put the vacuum away (fortunately I had been almost done) and headed out. All the outside lights were off too, of course, and I could see all the stars. It was amazing. I didn't know you could see that many stars. It was beautiful.

I found my friends in the campus center, and we hung out there some and walked around outside more. People were running around all over the place, screaming and yelling. Someone was setting off illegal fireworks, and I heard that someone drove a car on the sidewalk. People also climbed on the roofs of buildings, and the next day graffiti was found in several different places. That really annoys me, because most people were just enjoying the novelty of the power being out and admiring the stars, but some people thought, "Oh, the power's out, it's a great time to do bad things!" Which is stupid.

Anyway, it was an adventure. The Student Life office handed out glow sticks, as if they'd been prepared for this. The lights came back on a little after 11. Apparently the power had been out in several towns in the area, and I still don't know why. But I really didn't mind at all; it was fun and different.

I'm back at Houghton

10:15, Saturday night:

Yeah, here I am, at Houghton again; I've been back for a week, I just haven't blogged at all. This was a semi-busy week for me, at least compared to how the rest of the semester has been. I had a geology test Thursday that I was studying for and freaking out about all week. When I actually had to take the test, though, I knew almost everything and went through it really fast, so it was way better than I expected. I also had two short soc. papers due on Friday, which I put off until Thursday night. That was a bad choice, but I got them written.

And then yesterday was Friday, and I was finally done with everything, and I watched Ratatouille with Adam and Eri after work at the dining hall. Today I went to the college play, Jake's Women, which was really good. Right now I'm watching The Italian Job with some girls on my floor, which is several of their favorite movies, although I've never heard of it. The main characters are in Venice right now, which is where I'm going in June! On Monday Nora and I are meeting for dinner to plan a little more about where we're going and how we're getting there.

2:55, Sunday afternoon:

I stopped writing last night because I got into the movie. It was pretty good, a fun, action/adventure movie. After that Jaela, Alexa, and I watched half of Harry Potter 6. Also this week, on Thursday after my geology test, I watched Where the Wild Things are, which the school showed in the chapel. It really wasn't what I expected; it was sad and kind of dark and even disturbing at times. I think it was good, though.

I also started a new job this week, vacuuming the fourth floor. I do that Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday while my other cleaning job is MWF, so now I'm working every day. It's good; I have the time for it, and I'm making more money.

The weather's been really nice here, which is great. And I guess that's it for now.

I went skiing for real

On Tuesday my ski class took a trip to Swain Ski Area, about 40 minutes from Houghton, so that we could experience an actual ski resort. It was my first time ever going to a real ski place. The hills were so tall. It was a rainy day, so the top was hidden in fog. At first we took the shorter ski lift, which only went halfway up, so we could do some easy hills. I was surprised at how high off the ground the lift was, so although it was fun it was also a little scary. Getting off and on took a little getting used to.

The actual skiing felt really different from skiing at Houghton, because even the short hills were way longer. After a few times the TA had us get on the long ski lift, going all the way up to the top. Everyone was saying how ominous it felt, riding up slowly into the fog. The TA took us down the mile sweep, which was still an easy one, but it didn't feel like a mile because I was going so fast. Every time I went down any slope it pretty much felt like I lost all control, and it was only through luck that I didn't fall. I actually did fall once, when I tried a blue square hill. The whole time I was so scared of falling, and then at the very end it suddenly got really steep and I wiped out. My hat flew off, one ski came off, and I lost my poles too. Fortunately I didn't get hurt at all.

So yeah, skiing was interesting; a very unique experience. By the end I was really wet and cold. I liked it, but I'm really not that good at it, so I don't know if/when I'll go again. But I'm glad I got to try it.

Right now I'm home on break. It's really nice to be away from school and be with my family and be lazy. I always feel so different when I'm at home from how I feel when I'm at school; at Houghton I have to be organized and responsible and get to places on time, while here I can do what I want when I want and don't really have to worry about anything. It's weird living at such extremes. Houghton feels unreal now.