La Vita Bella

Fairy Lights and Mistletoe

2009-12-18T09:22:00.001-05:00

It's almost Christmas!!! And yet, it doesn't seem like it. I need to get in the Christmas spirit. I need to go bake our super secret Christmas cookies, that always makes it feel like Christmas!!!

All I Want For Christmas...

2009-12-09T10:04:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it's almost Christmas! This year has gone by too fast. I've been a very sucky blogger lately. Anyways, here's my Christmas wishlist. I know that one of the items I will definitely not be getting, but it's nice to dream...

Christmas Wishes by StellaRagazza on Polyvore.com

What're your wishes for Christmas?

Did I really...

2009-12-04T00:13:00.002-05:00

...JUST MEET MCFLY?!?! I need to take a breath and stop spazzing now, but I cannot.

Of Myself

2009-11-12T22:07:00.003-05:00

My dreams are so big
that sometimes they come spilling out-
and beg to find a comfy nook to curl up in.
Nice and warm,
a nice place for waiting until the day
that I can actually allow them to take root in my mind-
twisting and winding round the edges of my consciousness.

But until that day-
I'll package them up,
in the familiar pages of a well-worn book
where they shall be kept nice and safe,
their magic strengthened by far-off adventures
in Wonderland, Pemberly, & Neverland.

And on particularly dreary days-
when I chance to look upon them,
they shall see
that we are woven together
like the notes of a perfect aria,
which is more than Alice, Lizzie, or Peter
could ever wish for.

*photographer unknown

Excuse my language...

2009-10-24T23:31:00.005-04:00

...but life is one hell of a bloody confusing/scary/shiteous/sometimesfabulous ride.

Just when I think I have things figured out, everything goes all topsy turvy again; and it's like I'm Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole-- nothing to grasp, to break my fall. I suppose that's okay, but as much as I love Wonderland, I've always had a special place in my heart for Neverland. If I leave my window open tonight, do you think Peter will come and whisk me away to that second start to the right? Or I am already past the point of no return? Is my imagination shriveling up inside me as I type, hiding itself in the tiny nooks and crevices of my mind, where I shall only catch glimpses of it every now and then?

I don't know. That's what scares me.

I don't know anything, anymore.

Which is why, tonight, I'm going to clear my head and think happy, happy thoughts and wish with all my might that Peter will come and fly me away, off to Neverland.

Broken

2009-09-29T07:57:00.002-04:00

I never thought I could hate anyone as much as I hate you.

Thank you for teaching me never to trust
and for ripping my heart out and stomping on it.

Congratulations.

Game over.

You win.

Difficult

2009-09-23T01:02:00.003-04:00

I cannot change people.
They choose to be who they are, and I have to accept that.
Moving on is hard.
So is making mistakes...

...and decisions.

Is there a lesson to all this?
Does heartache really build character?

I wish I had answers.
I wish I could say that I don't care,
that I'm strong and none of this affects me.
But that would be a lie.

Letting people go is difficult.
But holding on is even more difficult.

2009-08-14T18:06:00.002-04:00

have you ever been in love? horrible isn't it? it makes you so vulnerable. it opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. you build up all these defences, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life... you give them a piece of you. they didn't ask for it. they did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. love takes hostages. it gets inside you. it eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness, so simple a phrase like 'maybe we should just be friends' turns into a glass splinter working its way into your heart. it hurts. not just in the imagination. not just in the mind. it's a soul-hurt, a real gets-inside-you-and-rips-you-apart pain. i hate love.

- Neil Gaiman

Questions.

2009-08-14T17:51:00.007-04:00

Love.
                Love.
                                              Love.
                               love.

                                        LOVE.

"Don't let the imaginary person in your head keep you from
                               falling
                                             in
                                                            love
with the real one right beside you."

                         Why do I love him?
               Do I love him?
                                                            Is it just the thought of him?

               A childhood dream-- come to life in the form of rainy day roadtrips and a shared love of perfect rhythm.

You Make Me Feel

2009-08-12T10:32:00.003-04:00

In the car with you. Jamming to Hall & Oates. Knowing that despite their cheesy lyrics, neither of us will be able to get that silly, catchy song out of our minds for the rest of the night. I don't ever want it to end.

Dear Future Husband

2009-07-13T00:37:00.003-04:00

I would very much like to make it known that this, in case you ever have any doubts, is the engagement ring I want. (With a better quality stone, of course.) You have been warned.

Nothing you can do, if you're too scared to try.

2009-07-11T11:34:00.006-04:00

You say that God told you that you didn't appreciate what He gave you.

But what if it's not her?

It's me.

*Photograph by Susannah Conway

Here we go, go, go, go, go again.

2009-06-30T00:38:00.002-04:00

I proudly admit to being a Disney girl. I went to see Demi Lovato in concert tonight and she was absolutely brilliant!

Fair, Fare

2009-06-25T15:18:00.002-04:00

Been home from Africa for a few days. Still exhausted. Just enjoying spending time with friends, family, and puppy. Pictures and more soon.

Wanderlust.

2009-06-09T09:08:00.005-04:00

Last night as I lay in my bed dreaming about South Africa, for which I depart tomorrow, my wanderlust returned with a vengeance. Now, I know that, as just stated, I'm leaving on Wednesday to go to Durban, but all this excitement and anxiety over my impending trip has me thinking back to last summer in Poland.

Lying here, eyes closed, Fletcher tucked so close to my face that his shagginess was practically suffocating me, I swear I could see the Sukiennice Cloth Hall, the Rynek Glowny (Grand Square), and the Basilica of the Virgin Mary's. Even though I was still wide awake, I could actually feel the cobblestones beneath my feet, the flapping of pigeons swirled in the air around me and the spicy, savory smell of kabobs made my stomach grumble

So now, even though I should be focusing on my South African adventure, I cannot stop thinking about Krakow-- the maze of streets the dart from the main squares, urging you to get lost, and the the sense of mystery and awe I felt when I made my early morning journey to Jagiellonian's hallowed halls.

It has been almost a year since that fabulous summer, and I can't help but think that maybe this time, my wanderlust won't be disappearing. Because I have discovered something, as much as I loved Italy and Germany and Ukraine, they are not Poland. Krakow captivated me and drew me in, and now I am hopelessly and utterly attached to her. She is a part of me, and I can only hope that someday I will return.

Fill in the ______.

2009-05-16T10:19:00.006-04:00

*Drawing by Hannah Müller

A survey from the always fabulous Yellow Elephant.

The rules:

1. respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

2. tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession?
my new scarf from Anthropologie, The Clash's London Calling album, Freshface bronzer

What are you wearing today?
cuffed jean shorts from GAP, a cute GAP top, bronze gladiators, and my fringe bag

What’s for dinner today?
I have no clue, I guess whatever my family decides they want me to cook.

Why is today special?
Because it's Saturday, and I've got no big plans!

What would you like to learn to do?
Sew

What’s the last thing you bought?
a new pair of black gladiator stilettos from Target and some knee high socks

What are you listening to right now?
The Ramones

What is your favorite weather?
I would say fall, but since we never get to see leaves change down here in South Georgia, I'm thinking that doesn't count... So, summer, pretty much the only season we experience here, with its insane humidity and one hundred degree weather. Love it!

What is your most challenging goal right now?
Saving my money, so that I'll actually be able to buy stuff when I go to Africa in a few weeks.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
She always writes the most lovely posts, and is a truly lovely girl!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
London or Krakow

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
the keys to a new car, preferably a Mini

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
London, top watch the Sats shoot their next video

Which language do you want to learn?
more Italian and Russian

What do you look for in a friend?
a sense of humour, and a big heart

Who do you want to meet in person?
Audrey Hepburn and Jane Austen

What’s your favorite type of music?
hmmm, I love all kinds of music, and my collection is very random, but most of my stuff is singer/songwriter

What’s the favorite piece of clothing in your own closet?
a cream tank top from White House/Black Market

What is your dream job?
if I could do anything? to be a photographer, realistically, I want to work for the State Department

Any favorite models?
Gemma Ward, Lily Cole, and Crystal Renn

Favorite designers?
Chloe, Elie Saab, Christian Lacroix, Alexander McQueen

Style Icons?
Audrey Hepburn, Carrie Bradshaw, and (don't laugh) Frankie Sandford, but I'm also very inspired by fashion magazines and blogs

Describe your personal style
vintage, classic, rocker

If your personality was a Magazine, which one would it be?
probably Lula: fashionable, quirky, and romantic

What do you like to do during the weekends?
read, take pictures, go on long drives, hang out with friends

What's one beauty product you absolutely cannot live without?
Burt's Bees, for sure, it's my lifeline

One fashion trend that you think should be wiped off the face of the earth?
Jean Jackets

And I'm going to copy my friend and say that the first people who want to do this survey are tagged.

Hallo, Sommer!

2009-05-10T19:49:00.007-04:00

Finals are finished. And, finally, life is a little less complicated.

Summer, I love you!

Currently Listening To: Pony (It's OK)- Erin McCarley

Georgia, On My Mind

2009-05-04T22:57:00.003-04:00

I was browsing some of the blogs I read regularly and saw that Nicole over at A Little Sussy had just posted about Maya Brenner's brilliant state necklaces. I think I need the Georgia one. Aren't they clever!!!

Currently Listening To: Up by The Saturdays

Close

2009-05-01T20:27:00.005-04:00

I was trying to wait on this post, because it is my 100th post, and that does seem like kind of a big deal. But, since I've been so busy with school and papers and whatnot, I haven't really had the time to do anything special. So, I figured I would go ahead and show y'all some of the pictures from a recent photoshoot I had with my friend Tori. She graduates next week and wanted me to take some pictures that she could give to her parents. How sweet!

So, enjoy these, and I promise to be back with some of the lovely projects I have been working on. Hopefully life won't be quite so busy after I finish with finals next week.
Summer, THANK GOODNESS!

P.S.- Tori and I have our first wedding shoot tomorrow. I'm kinda nervous. Here's hoping all goes well!

Currently Listening To: Dancing Shoes, Gavin Degraw

C'est Magnifique

2009-03-26T18:01:00.004-04:00

It seems everyone is always going on about how fabulous Paris, and France in general, is. I've never been there, so I reserve the right to hold back my judgement, but, I must say, the French sure know how to do things right. Fashion, music, films, food... I've been sucked into it all lately.

Paris Je T'aime isn't the greatest movie I've ever seen, but the Parisian scenes and soundtrack (especially "We're all in the Dance" by Feist) make it worth renting.

Ariane Moffatt's newest album, Tous les sens is the perfect mix of eclectic pop, it's upbeat and fun, and the perfect spring album.

After listening to one of my friends go on and on about Les Choristes, I finally decided to rent it. The only thing more beautiful than the movie itself is the gorgeous soundtrack.

Lastly, is a young French-Canadian whose music I discovered on one of my random iTunes downloading fests. Coeur de Pirate's debut album has been on constant replay since I purchased it. Although I can't understand the words to her self-written songs, I can understand the emotions behind them.

♥ Mar

P.S.- I promise to return this weekend with a real blog entry. Complete with pictures. Forgive my extended absence from the blogosphere. Uni has kept me dreadfully busy!

Cloud Nine.

2009-03-02T17:58:00.001-05:00

How lovely.

My new favorite commercial!

♥

Jamal ♥'s Latika

2009-03-01T00:47:00.003-05:00

Sorry for my lack of posts this week. I've been a bit under the weather. Went to see Slumdog Millionaire tonight and it was simply and utterly amazing, definitely deserving of the eight Oscars it won! So, if you haven't seen it yet, get on it!

Please, sir.

2009-02-22T08:13:00.004-05:00

I wish the weekend was one day longer.

♥

Crowd Precipitation

2009-02-22T00:25:00.005-05:00

I was ever so happy that I was able to spend the weekend with my best friends, taking lots of pictures and rocking out to some amazingly awesome music. Dave Barnes really is a talented musician, so you should go check him out because he is just so fabulous!

Sometimes all you need is a good girls weekend!

♥

2009-02-18T23:09:00.003-05:00

This past weekend I had a photoshoot with my good friend Natalie. She wanted help with her boyfriend's Valentines present, so we took some pictures and then I helped her make a collage for him. So sweet! I hope everyone had a lovely V-Day!

♥

P.S.- If you take a look at the sidebar you'll notice that I've reorganized the labels in my blog. So, I know some people were interested in reading about my trip to Poland this summer, now all you have to do is go to the "Poland" label and it will display all those blog entries. No more searching through a sea of posts!

Matryoshkas and More.

2009-02-16T21:17:00.005-05:00

One of my ever so lovely friends was nice enough to make me this GORGEOUS new layout! Isn't it fabulous!!! I think so! Tori (that's her in the photo below) is an amazing graphic designer and has just started her own blog, Typographique Village, so y'all should go check it out. She's still in the process of figuring out the blogosphere, so lovely comments would be much appreciated, I'm sure. And, a little birdy told me that she is also willing to make blogger layouts for anyone who is interested, so, feel free to drop her a line.

(I shall be back tomorrow with a more creative blog entry, some new photos, maybe...)

♥

Blustery Day

2009-02-11T17:52:00.004-05:00

The wind has been blowing and huffing and puffing. This can only mean one thing: rain.
Wellies tomorrow, YAY!

P.S.- Fletcher doesn't very much like foul weather, tis the only downside...

Bella Cosetti: Quattro

2009-02-11T14:11:00.016-05:00

This might sound more than a little crazy, but I feel like a haircut is a way to reinvent oneself. Now that I've lopped off twelve inches, I feel like I need to change my wardrobe to match-- no more light colors, more blacks and rich bold hues. I've become rather attracted to the whole bohemian "rocker-chic" vibe. But, I dunno. I'm very attached to what I call my "European Vintage" look; maybe I can find some middle ground between the two...

Enough about that. It's been a little too long since I've done a proper Bella Cosetti entry, and I do love a good list, so, here goes:

1)Prints, Prints, Prints, PRINTS! Oh, but I cannot seem to stop obsessing over them. And, none of them fit any particular theme. Maybe I like them so much because I always wished that I was an artist...

this little

darkling woods

dazey chic

crayon monster

sarahjanestudios

2)Speaking of things that I Just Can't Get Enough of...

3) Pretty baking supplies, just in time for V-DAY.

4)These just make me want to label everything in sight!

5) Digital photography is LOVE!

angiemuldowney

irenesuchocki

6) I recently re-read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for about the one-hundredth time, such a magical story.

paraphernalia

7)Parcel, a super-cool store that sells everything from vintage paper products to engraved necklaces.

8)I'm on the lookout for the perfect carousel necklace, could this be it?

9) I very much would like to have a pet rabbit, but I don't think that's a practical idea; I'm sure Fletcher would agree.

10) This room is just fabulous! I love the bookshelves! Maybe I can do something like this in my room at home...

♥

Today.

2009-02-07T11:26:00.005-05:00

I am getting ready to go get a shower and blow dry/straighten my long hair for the last time. It's kinda bittersweet, but it shall grow back.

Soon I shall look like this:

Okay, well, not exactly like that; I only wish I were as pretty as Frankie. But, my hair shall look like that.

Pictures when I return.

♥

Update:

Cream Colored Ponies and Crisp Apple Streudle

2009-02-06T11:05:00.006-05:00

My brown paper package from Yasemin came in the post the other day, and I was so very excited! So many lovely things!!! She had wrapped everything in a beautiful box, and there were twenty objects, each numbered, with a written explanation as to what it was. I do hope her package arrives to Turkey soon!

P.S.- I finally succumbed...

♥

Truely.

2009-02-04T08:46:00.003-05:00

I have the best friends in the whole wide world.
Just thought I would share.

♥

P.S.- I shall be back tonight with about post about my AMAZING Brown Paper Package!

P.P.S- I would have posted pictures with other people (you know who you are), but sadly we are forced to live too far away....

It's Been...

2009-02-02T17:35:00.008-05:00

...one of those days. The weather was shiteous and I just felt gross.

I've ordered entirely too much stuff online lately, but it's so thrilling to receive pretty packages in the mail! The front office at my apartment complex called me this morning to tell me I had a package to pick up and it was none other than the lovely Kate Spade planner I was lusting after in a previous post. Isn't it fabulous?

Then, a few hours later they called again to tell me I had more packages to come pick up. Well, I was very excited, I mean, they could have been any number of fabulous things. But, no, they were some of the books I had ordered for my U.S. Cold War Foreign Policy and Modern France classes at Uni. Interesting, but not as interesting as, say, Ghosthunting with McFly.

I had given up hope when they called yet again, and when I went to the office, I was pleased to find that my Hunter Wellies had finally arrived. Oh goodness, this day was certainly looking up.

I even checked my mailbox to find that the post office had received my package from Yasemin, my Brown Paper Packages friend! (Which I will go pick up tomorrow morning.) So, the day is ending in an infinitely better way than it began.

P.S.- Don't you just adore the Union Jack? I do!

P.S.

2009-01-30T00:26:00.010-05:00

I almost forgot, this week is Paris Fashion Week.

Favorites:

*Marchesa

*Anne Valerie Hash

*Christian Lacroix (my absolute favorites)

*Elie Saab

♥

Bella Cosetti: Tre

2009-01-29T23:53:00.006-05:00

Lately I've really been wishing I had my own house, or at least an apartment that is actually big enough to qualify as more than a room with a front door. So many pretty little things have caught my eye, and I'm quite sure they would look just lovely in a cute little cottage with furniture from Anthropologie and random vintage finds. Soon...

1)For some reason I've just been in LOVE with Polaroid pictures lately, and this set is just so lovely and simple.

2)The perfect retro-inspired pen holder, to go organize the perfect retro desk.

3) If only I had seven hundred extra dollars; alas, I'm afraid I shall be forever lusting after this chair.

4) Tons of prints have caught my eye lately, but none so much as this one. One can never have too many Matryoshkas.

5) Lastly, can someone please explain to me why Agyness Deyn always looks so brilliant? It really isn't fair. So, she is my random addition to this post, mostly because I am in love with that fabulous Chanel she's attached to.

♥

The Ordinary and the Extraordinary

2009-01-19T17:43:00.002-05:00

Over Christmas break I made it my goal to take as many portraits as possible. I feel that, as a photographer, it's my weakness. I love taking pictures of historic places and random objects, but capturing the spirit of a person is another story. These certainly aren't perfect-- I have a long way to go. But everyone has to start somewhere, right? Thankfully, I'm lucky to have fabulous friends who put up with me bossing them around for a few hours. Here are the results of a month of hard work. Enjoy!

Thanks to the lovely Raines sisters who allowed me to take their Christmas pictures. Glad they had enough faith in my abilities, especially since these were a Christmas present for their mom.

One of my best friends was gracious enough to trudge out in the sweltering heat and endure me bossing her around for a couple of hours. I'm rather pleased with how this set turned out.

Leanne, Brandi, Emily, and Kayla certainly made my job hard at first, but they were hyper enough to put up with all of my crazy ideas and traipsing around town. Thanks ladies!

I think, oftentimes, we forget what a beautiful place we live in. Home becomes the ordinary and the everyday, but this photoshoot with Tor and Yona helped make home feel maybe just a little magical again.

♥

Zwei und Zwanzig.

2009-01-17T13:45:00.003-05:00

How does it feel to be twenty-two?

The same as being twenty-one, just a lot less exciting.

But, what can you do, aye?

Cheers to Tor for always being there.

♥

2009-01-13T18:06:00.003-05:00

"We write to taste life twice, once in the moment and in retrospection."
-Anais Nin

**I promise a real blog post is coming soon. I have so many things to show y'all but Uni has just started back and I'm a little swamped...

When I See an Elephant

2009-01-04T15:46:00.005-05:00

How lovely!
I got my very first tag today from a fabulously creative lady over at The Yellow Elephant, and I must say that it very much absolutely made my day. (I think I've been watching too much Charlie and Lola, for that last sentence sounded very Lola-esque.)So, without further ado...

The Rules:
1. Go to the 4th folder in your computer where you store your pictures.
2. Pick the 4th picture in that folder.
3. Explain the picture.
4. Tag 4 people to do the same!

This has to be my absolute favorite picture of one of my absolute favorite bands, The Beatles. I think it exemplifies their personalities. They just all look so happy and exuberant. I hope, one day, to capture a picture as brilliant as this, one that totally and completely documents one specific moment in time.

Now, for the second part of my task, I tag:
*Lottie's adorable and magical blog... The Tea Drinking English Rose
**My most best friend in the whole wide world's blog... Love is the Movement.
***The blog that continues to inspire me every day... WishWishWish
****13.9...for Yasemin's always interesting pictures and ramblings.

Cheers!

Bella Cosetti: Due

2009-01-03T10:05:00.013-05:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful, happy, blessed New Years. I know I did. It was full of laughs, good food, and, of course, too many pictures. I've been feeling very artistic lately, which has led to many new art projects and photoshoots, so it seems now is as good a time as any to post my second list of pretty things...

1) Striped Shirts, especially yellow striped shirts.

2) Poladroid, which after a long period of waiting is finally available for PC users!

3) Buttons, they can brighten up anything, especially four dollar sweaters from Target!

4) Pretty bows for my hair.

5) Decoupaged tables.

6) Fabulous Christmas presents.

7) Charm necklaces.

8) Shameless British pop music.

10) Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. I still cannot get enough of them.

11) Photoshoots with friends.

We'll Be Jolly Friends, Forevermore

2009-01-01T02:27:00.005-05:00

I feel like this is where I should type up a long and detailed list of all these fabulous things I'm going to do for New Years. Like losing weight or making new friends or traveling to the ends of the earth or trying to be a better person. You know, all the typical cliche ramblings of the past few generations.

Instead I'm going to make a promise to myself, here and now, to just... be me. It's so easy to find yourself snipping away at the little parts of ourselves that others say are unattractive or different, but it's those imperfect edges that make this giant puzzle of a world so much more interesting.

So, here's to be myself and enjoying the coming year. To laughing until I cry and spending every moment possible with those who inspire, push, and encourage me. To loving so much it hurts. To riding around town with the windows down and singing at the top of my lungs. To changing my hairstyle as many times as I want. To enjoying my own sense of style.

I challenge everyone to be themselves in the coming year. No matter who people tell you to be, remember that life isn't about fitting in-- it's about standing out.

And A Partridge in a Pear Tree

2008-12-24T17:43:00.004-05:00

Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: You see that tree there? Well to show our appreciation for youtr generosity, I'm gonna let you select an object from that tree that you can take home with you.

Kevin McCallister: For free?

Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: Oh yes. May I make a suggestion? Take the Turtle Doves.

Kevin McCallister: I can have two?

Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: Well, two Turtle Doves. I'll tell you what you do: you keep one, and you give the other one to a very special person. You see, Turtle Doves are a symbol of friendship and love. And as long as each of you has your Turtle Dove, you'll be friends forever.

Kevin McCallister: Wow. I never knew that. I thought they were just part of a song.

Mr. E.F. Duncan, Owner Duncan's Toy Chest: They are. And for that very special reason.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Bella Cosetti: Uno

2008-12-20T21:10:00.015-05:00

So, I've been inspired by some of my blogging friends who do weekend roundup entries listing some of their favorite moments of the week, or just pretty things they may have discovered. In other words, it's a chance for me to list all of my favorite "Pretty Little Things" (as the blog title reads in Italian) once a week. Multo Bene!!!

1) Little sister bonding time.

2) Best friends.

3) Christmas lights.

4) McFly on American Television.

5) Carrie's BEAUTIFUL blog: WishWishWish.

6) My hometown at Christmastime.

7) Bunny Keyrings. <3

8) A site to feed my scarf addiction.

9) PicNik.**

10) Random roadside photoshoots.

11) Sunsets.

Christmastime is wonderful, but along with all the good and magical faeries and elves the make the toys and light up the chilly winter nights, there are also some nasty little creatures who steal your time when you aren't looking. It does seem that I quite meant to post this blog entry yesterday, and yet, here I am posting almost two days later. I blame it on the elves.

And a very Merry Christmas Adam to you all. (You know, the day before Christmas Eve...) I know, I don't even deserve to have that remark acknowledged.

**Courtesy of Tori over at Love is the Movement.

Lovely.

2008-12-13T22:04:00.010-05:00

Today I...

...made pancakes

...helped my little sister get all dolled up for her seventeenth birthday party.

...waited for some packages.

...channeled Audrey Hepburn.

...had a photoshoot.

...cuddled with Fletcher.

...cleaned my room.

...and met my new penpal, Yasemin via Brown Paper Packages.

What a Lovely Day!!!

WiSh

2008-12-12T16:59:00.007-05:00

In honor of the coming holiday I've decided to make a wish list. A list of pretty little things that I cannot help but love. Christmas inspiration, anyone?

1) This adorable necklace will have you saying Привет in no time.

2) Because XoXo is the only acceptable way to sign a letter.
3)Acceptable for more than just finishing off those last minute wrapping jobs.

4) Saving procrastinators everywhere. Thank you Kate Spade!
5) Hello, my name is Mariah, and I have an addiction.
6) All Hail the Queen!!!

7) A collection of photographs from the very talented Rosie Hardy.

8) Floral tights, yes PLEASE!
9) Medieval chicas sure knew how to rock it.
10) Doesn't everyone deserve a Guilty Pleasure?
11) Simple and gorgeous.
12) Vintage looking pictures are rather fabulous, don't you think?

So, now that I have completed what must be the most random wish list ever, I shall leave y'all with a thought...

Rains Drops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens,
Bright Copper Kettles and Warm Woolen Mittens
Brown Paper Packages tied up with String.
These are a few of my FAVORITE THINGS.

I'm A Drifter and I know It Doesn't Do Me Any Good

2008-12-10T14:42:00.009-05:00

It's that time of year again, finals coming to a close... The sounds of banging and swearing as your neighbors who live too close for comfort try to pack all their necessities for a journey home. As usual, I feel the need to stuff the entire contents of my tiny studio apartment into my car; I swear you'd think I was moving back home for good, with all the stuff I'm taking.

Shoes- Check
Clothes- Check
Movies- Check
Books- Check
Toiletries- Check
Purses- Check
Gloves and Scarves- Check
Hats- Check
Jewelry- Check

The refrigerator, if you can call it that, has been cleaned and its contents unceremoniously dumped into the rubbish-- waiting for me to make the trek to the dumpster.

So, I hope I haven't forgotten anything, like I usually do. The laundry is in a basket waiting to be done, and that is what I usually end up coming back for. No return trips for me.

Goodbye, first semester of senior year. It's been real and it's been fun. Okay, well that might be a lie, but for the most part...

It's time to go home and be reunited with my friends and family. Time to put on the cape and become a pharmician once again. Time to bake lots and lots of cookies. Time to frantically go last-minute Christmas shopping. Time to forget all the German I learned this past semester, so that I can freak out at said forgetfulness the beginning of next semester. Time to say goodbye, for now.

Goodbye Statesboro!

Hearts Bend, When they Can't Break...

2008-12-07T12:48:00.008-05:00

SO, I've recently been inspired by all the lovely fashion blogs I've been reading. Paris, London, New York.
All these lovely ladies manage to look super-cute all the time and take fabulous pictures of their outfits every day.
Too bad I'm a poor college student, although, I don't suppose that's any excuse.

I'm going to try and look cute more often. Because life is too short not to. Ha! Words of inspiration.

I suppose that means it's time to break out the tripod.

AND, speaking of photos, the lovely Tori Ivey and I have a new venture that we are soon starting. So, stay tuned.

And here's some lovely linkage to feed your obsession with cool international fashion blogs. If you have one, that is. If you don't have an obsession, you should start one...
WISHWISHWISH
Le Blog de Betty
The Cherry Blossom Girl
The Unicorn Diaries
This is Glamorous

P.S.:

This weekend was the Southern Scholars Showcase here at Georgia Southern, and I was lucky enough to have been chosen as part of the interview committee for the International Studies Worrell Scholarship. What an honor! Especially since I was chosen out of all the International Studies majors.

Yellow.

2008-12-02T19:42:00.004-05:00

Yellow is amazing.
Daisies.
Saffron Rice.
Stars.
Lemons.
Sunshine.
Paddington Bear Coats.
Galoshes.
Vintage Footstools.
Mustard.

Memories Like Photographs

2008-11-16T09:41:00.005-05:00

This is in serious need of some updateage. Soon. SOON. soon.

Carolina

2008-10-21T14:55:00.004-04:00

I LOVE Matt Wertz!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, and Andy Davis, too.... Last night's concert was so good. It's been a while since I've had some Acoustic Guy lovin, so I really enjoyed myself. I only wish my bestie could have been there with me. Tori and I sold merch for Matt (Tori Ivey, not Tori Raines). It was fun, as always.
Matt declared his undying love for me last night. Even dedicated a song to me, okay not really. But in my imagination he did.
Oh, to be a groupie...

Get it Daddy-O...

2008-10-10T06:11:00.001-04:00

As you can see from the comments people are in love with Obama's image and the chance to elect a black man as President of this great country. It is form over substance, and the mindless, blinding stupidity of a voting public that can't pull the facts out of the much biased media coverage of this election.

I am encouraged that our country has come to the point where we are on the brink of electing an African-American as our next President. It is unfortunate that Obama is just the wrong choice in so many ways.

If you want a socialist nation like you can find in Europe then, Barak is your man. If you want to waste the thousands of lives that America has sacrificed in Iraq by pulling out too soon then, Barak is your man. If you want a nationalized health care system like they have in Canada where people have to get on a waiting list for medical procedures and surgeries, Barak is your man. If you believe that sucking out the brains of an infant child just prior to its being born is justified as abortion, and is not murder, Barak is your man. If you want to revisit the communism of the old Soviet Union by pulling down those who aspire to greatness, and innovation, and prosperity in order to lift up those who are unwilling to work hard for the same chance, Barak is your man. If you want another incarnation of the failed policies of Jimmy Carter, Barak is your man.

By the way, I have a few questions for all of you ready to vote for Mr. Obama because he will bring change. What kind of change will he bring? What good substantive change will we have if Obama is elected? All of you married middle class voters who support Obama: are you ready for the reinstatement of the marriage tax penalties in 2010 if your candidate is elected? Look at this link if you don’t understand what I am talking about: http://marriage.about.com/b/2008/04/15/what-is-the-marriage-tax-penalty.htm . How will we pay for Barak’s Healthcare plan? Higher taxes anyone? On energy, are you ready to give up your SUV because of higher gas prices than we have now? Are you willing to sacrifice just because we will not drill now, while we develop alternative energy sources? Remember change is not always good!

I am a working middle class man who works two jobs, and my wife works two jobs as well. I do this because, frankly, I need the money to maintain my current lifestyle, and help my daughter through college. It is a choice that I have made. We live in a country where anyone has a chance to succeed through hard work and perseverance. My point is that the government was never intended to make sure everyone here has plenty of money to meet their needs. Health care contrary to what was said earlier is not a right. We all have the right to work as hard as we want to in order to create wealth, and a comfortable lifestyle. Our government exists to provide the environment for individuals to succeed, and to protect us from external threats.

I will close with this. The Preamble to our Constitution says what the founding fathers felt about the function of government: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America”. Government is not the source for what “We the People” need. It provides the framework for hard working and innovative individuals to use their God given abilities and intelligence to succeed and be useful citizens of these United States.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

just a little something my dad wrote. thought I'd share.

Stupid Trolls!

2008-10-07T12:22:00.003-04:00

So, funny story. I was, once again, trying to use more than one kitchen appliance (aka: the espresso maker and the microwave) which is a no-no in my little tiny pony loft apartment, ANNND I blew the power fuse out again. Dang it!

Now, this is only the second time that I've done this, so it's not completely my fault. Who knew??? Right? But, anyways, I called my old apartment complex, The Exchange-- because for some reason my cell won't let me delete numbers I don't need any more, instead of the Garden District. Well, this very irate gay guy answered the phone and I told him my apartment number and he kept yelling at me about how there isn't an apartment number 5764*. I couldn't understand why he was being such an ass, until I figured out that I had called the wrong apartment complex. Stupid phone! That's right, I'm blaming it on the phone.

Needless to say, they're all probably over at the Exchange having a nice laugh about this right now, while I am stuck at my apartment waiting for them to come turn the power back on so I can get ready and go to the library to write this bloody paper I have been putting off for the last week.
What a day!

*apartment number has been changed to protect the safety of the blog author

Turn the World Around.

2008-10-06T09:06:00.004-04:00

"You pile up enough tomorrows, and you'll find you're left with nothing but a lot of empty yesterdays. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering." -The Music Man

So true. Keep remembering to not just live in the moment, but to live for it. Life is fleeting-- don't waste it.

Carp in my Moat?

2008-09-29T12:07:00.004-04:00

This weekend was BRILLIANT! There is simply no other way to put it. I love Tori and Amanda and Natalie and Tori... haha And I don't love drama. Why can't everyone just get along, for one weekend. Is it really too much too ask?
Oh well.
ANNND McFly Ghosthunting is coming out on DVD!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO there!

See Spot Run.

2008-09-23T11:50:00.003-04:00

If only I had my camera here with me instead of at home in Brunswick. I cannot believe that it got left there. Well, I guess I can. Things happen when you move everything out of your bedroom to paint. Things mysterisouly disappear, like your favorite pair of shoes that you traveled all around Krakow in this summer. The shoes that look good with everything, where did they go??? Anyways, back to the point.

I wish I had my camera here because today is bath day. That's right, bath day. Fletcher HATES bath day with a passion. He has, in fact, already succeded in jumping out of the tub three times... I am now officially soaking wet, and he is sitting on the floor, covered in soap giving me the evil eye. Why does bath day have to be difficult??? AND this makes me wonder.... I can't even give my puppy a bath without wanting to strangle him; what happens when I have children? I shudder at the thought.

New Obsession...

2008-09-20T19:40:00.002-04:00

I think I have a new obsession... WORDLE. Go check it out!

Throw Your Heart Right In.

2008-09-18T17:24:00.004-04:00

Kicking off is the hardest part
Nothings certain at the start
Letting go, so something can begin

Figure out how to get our life
Leave tomorrow, live tonight
Gotta throw, throw your heart right in

Cause we all fall down

Everybody knows the end
When the curtain hits the floor
And everybody knows the end
Don't wanna get there wishing that you given more
It's not over, till it's over
So how do we begin
When everybody knows the end

Yeah

I need to live with nothing to fix
Don't tell me whats gonna happen next
I'm alright, I like the way this feels
Leave behind all the things I miss
Next stop isn't where you think it is
Cause tonight, I'm riding off the rails

Cause we all fall down

...I just can't get enough of this song.
_____________________________________
6. Go skinny dipping.
7. Horseback riding on the beach at sunset.
8. Learn to play guitar.
9. Have one night out; no strings attached.
10. Sing on stage, by myself, in front of an audience.

*I'm doing good with this whole list thing. haha

Life's Like an Hourglass Glued to the Table.

2008-09-16T09:44:00.006-04:00

SO, this may seem totally random, but I promise I'm going somewhere with this post. Lately I've been so stressed/ caught up in school and school and, well, school (along with a few other things), that I think, somewhere along the line, I forgot how nice it is to just sit back and relax.

On the ride back home from Brunswick this weekend I was rocking out to the fabulous Kate V (It's Only Life, of course), and I felt like this lightbulb went off in my head.

Now I know that they totally make cheesy movies, like the Bucket List which I have never seen, about these moments of inspiration... And I know that I'll go somewhere and have this amazing experience and then say, "I can totally cross that off my list of things to do before I die..."

BUT, the problem is, I didn't actually have one of those lists. (Same goes for traveling, as much as I love it, why do I not have a list of places to see before I die???)

So, to get to the point, I've decided it's time I really start living. There are so many things I want to do with my life and so many places I want to see and experience. And the only thing holding me back is myself. My fear of not pleasing of everyone, and most of all, my fear of the unknown. It's time to let go and, well, LIVE! I don't want to spend my whole life wondering about what might have been, and I know how cliche' that sounds, but it's the truth.

I think we all get caught up in the stress of everyday life, and the joy of living gets lost in that. I don't think God created us to live a mundane existence. I think He wanted us to see and experience this beautiful and awe-inspiring world that He created for us. Even if it is something as simple as watching the sunrise, or sending a card to your best friend because you want to share in someone elses' happiness.

I'm not sure if any of this makes sense, but I felt like I had to get it out there. I officially name today, Spetember 16, my day to live. And no matter who you are or where you're from, I dare you to do the same. Whether it be something crazy or something small. Take the time to enjoy life and God's beautiful creation. And don't just do it today-- do it everyday.

I making this my vow to stop stressing so much and start living, because as the great J.M. Barrie wrote: "To live will be an awfully big adventure!"

In honor of today, I have decided to start making that list, and it is my goal to post five new "things to do before I die" every time I post on here, so wish me luck!
___________________________________

1. Meet McFly.
2. Move to Europe, at least for a little while.
3. Fall in love.
4. Go on a mission trip to Africa.
5. Finally finish reading the entire Sherlock Holmes Collection.

*And no matter how silly or trivial these things may seem, I vow to attempt to accomplish them, and if I do, I will post it on here.

Note to Self.

2008-09-13T12:59:00.003-04:00

Despite fact that red is favorite color, do NOT under any circumstances ever use said color of paint again. If ever tempted to use said color, see Exhibit A (shirt that used to be grey but is now covered in white primer) for a reminder of why not to use red paint.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

2008-09-13T07:35:00.003-04:00

I'm kind of sad to be painting my room. So many memories, but I'm ready for a change. I think it's going to look fabulous, and I cannot wait to be done with it.
I love painting, but I have a feeling that my red walls are going to be a pain in the you-know-what to cover. Wish me luck. I'm off to work.

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, Ruby...

2008-09-10T13:33:00.005-04:00

In reference to the above title.... You must say it quickly, while laughing, with a Bolton accent. Just thought you should know. hahaha

I think this blog is turning into one big "IMISSMYBESTFRIEND" sobfest, but it's oh so true!

And I know that school jsut started, but I'm already super-stressed. Is it Thanksgiving yet? Or maybe I don't want it to be November-- that's part of the problem. This semester is going by too quickly. There is not enough time to get everything done that needs to be done. All I know is, next week is the start of something new for me. I'm going to stop being so lazy and start being more productive. I mean it!

Breathe a Little Deeper

2008-09-07T10:26:00.004-04:00

I am deeply saddened by the fact that I cannot go to ATL next weekend and Tor has to work the weekend after, so I can't go then either. This sucks. Boo to birthdays. haha I know my dad can't help when he was born, but still. It sucks. I need to see my bestie.

Lets Count the Days.

2008-09-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

I love college and pep rallies and free concerts and best friends and photo shoots and late-night movies and hyper puppies and McFly and hot lead singers...

Most of all I love life and the experiences that I get to share with my best friends!

Another Year Over...

2008-08-31T01:53:00.002-04:00

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my best friend??? This weekend has been fabulous, and it's not over yet!!!!

Grow

2008-08-27T13:26:00.002-04:00

"I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake"
-New Soul by Yael Naim

I'm getting there.

Love Is The Movement.

2008-08-24T00:38:00.003-04:00

What do you do when one of your best friends, brothers, decides to give up? What do you do when he tells you that God doesn't exist anymore and that sometimes he wished that he wouldn't exist either? What do you do when one of the happiest and funniest people you know doesn't laugh anymore? What do you do? What can I do?

It isn't supposed to be this way. He's supposed to be the one looking out for me-- not the other way around.

What happens when love isn't enough?

When You Start Talking, I Start Walking

2008-08-23T10:36:00.004-04:00

OHHHHHHH, LOVE. I ♥ these boys! They never cease to amaze me!

Born to Run

2008-08-21T12:06:00.003-04:00

I miss Doug, and British nights, and McTherapy (of which I definitely need a healthy dose right now), and random Zaxbys trips, and movie nights, and days with crack in the air, and just having my best friend to hang out with 24/7.

And I HATE Statistics. I so don't want to go to class today; I wish I could just skip. But, I know better, and I refuse to be bad and skip (alot) this year.

And I hate myself for avoiding the situation... I do this everytime. What am I so afraid of??? I guess it's mostly because I know better. But still... Why does God feel the need to keep testing me on this subject. I'm sick of trying to prove myself.

Truth

2008-08-20T07:47:00.001-04:00

Here's a little something I wrote for class, and I thought I would share.

It is no little feat asking someone to write about their life. I don’t care if that person is 21 years old or 91 years old. Nevertheless, here goes my attempt at explaining a little bit of my history. Once upon a time in a land far, far away, in a house near the ocean a little princess was born to two loving parents: Richard and Linda Charnock. Okay, so maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I was my parent’s first child and I was certainly the apple of their eye, at least for the first five years of my existence.
When I was born I think I completely surprised my father. He swore to everyone that mom was going to have a boy, and even worse, he swore to name me after his favorite Uncle Alvin. Alvin—like Alvin and the chipmunks-- so unattractive, thankfully, I was not a boy. My mother was ecstatic to have a little girl, and she named me after her favorite Aunt and Uncle: Mariah Lee. I am told that for those first five years my parents doted on me as much as any new parents would: I had the frilliest dresses, the newest shoes, and more Little Mermaid paraphernalia than any girls heart could possibly desire.
So, I suppose it’s my own fault, really, that the fairytale had to end. When I was five I begged and begged my parents for a little sister. When my mom announced that she was going to have a baby I was so excited! Finally, I would have someone to play with and watch over as only a big sister could. My dad tried to explain to me that it might be a boy, and as he did when my mom was pregnant with me, he told her that he was positive it was a boy. I think, instead of telling me not to get my hopes up, someone should have been telling him. On December 1, 1992, Olivia Nadine Charnock was born. From that moment on I knew that my life would be different—I was a big sister.
How can a five year old understand just how much a life can change in one single moment? She can’t. I didn’t understand what words like: central hypotonia, umbilical cord, and motor skills meant. All I knew was that I was now the proud owner of a brand new baby sister and it was my job to protect her. I did know that mom was gone for a very long time, and she almost didn’t make it home in time for Christmas. Christmas Eve brought the best surprise I could ever ask for, my mother and my little sister both got to come home.
After that life was never the same at the Charnock household. I don’t know at what moment it finally clicked that my little sister wasn’t like everyone else, but when it did I was devastated. I thought that it was my fault she was born the way she was, after all, wasn’t I the one who had prayed and begged and pleaded for a sister? Maybe if I had just been more patient and less selfish none of this would have happened.
Growing up I became more to Olivia than I ever thought I would have to be. I cheered her on at physical therapy, I was her translator for the first three and a half years of her life, and when she finally said her first words at almost four years old, I was there. I was there when she learned how to ride a bike, and when she began to read at ten years old. I was also there her first day of Middle School, watching, as the kids made fun of her for being different.
You may ask why I told my story in terms of another person’s life. I’m not sure even I can explain it. All I know is that Olivia has helped shape me into the person I am today. My friends and parents would probably be surprised to hear me say any of this. I guess our relationship isn’t quite what it used to be. Olivia is sixteen and I’m twenty-one. It’s hard to find time to spend with her when I’m up here at school. She frustrates me so much sometimes, but she also pushes me, unknowingly, to be a better person. She loves me for who I am no matter what, and she is teaching me to be patient one day at a time. My little sister might be autistic, but she has the biggest heart of anyone I have ever met. She is always telling everyone that I am her hero, but what she doesn’t realize is that she is mine too.

Slipping Through My Fingers...

2008-08-19T08:07:00.001-04:00

Okay, so, yesterday was the first day of school, and it wasn't so bad. Kind of uneventful actually. I think I might actually enjoy this semester. I hope. I just have to kick some major German butt, and I know that I can do it!!! Horseback riding is going to rock, and my Historical Research Methods class is a joke-- a 12 page paper??? C'Mon!!!! haha I have Stat. later today, really later today at 3:30, so that means that every Tuesday and Thursday I have nothing to do. YAY! It would be nice if I could sleep in, but Fletch refuses to cooperate.

I'm on the way to buy Camp Rock now, and I'm so freaking excited! I hope I like it!!!!

One More Song Before We've Got to Go

2008-08-15T08:46:00.003-04:00

It feels so weird to be moving in to another new apartment. Every new year of college I move, and it kind of sucks. Just when I get used to my living situation and get everything the way I like it something has to change. But, I guess my parents would tell me "That's Life..." whatever. haha

I think I'm going to like the new place, although it is rather small. Fletch and I will have fun, and hopefully "Aunt Tori" will come visit us.

T-Minus 2 days until I officially start my senior year of college-- I can't believe it!!!!!!!!!!

LoveBug

2008-08-13T21:50:00.003-04:00

I currently am rocking out to the new JoBros album, and it must be pretty freaking awesome if it can get me to take the new McFly out of my CD player..... I feel like such a little kid for loving the JoBros and Camp Rock and Hannah Montana and Disney in general, but who cares??? Right? haha

POV

2008-08-12T01:00:00.002-04:00

I ♥ McFly! And I ♥ my bestie for introducing me to them!!! They simply never get old and I swear every album just gets better and better... Now if only Tom would realize that he is hopelessly in love with me and not Giovanna my life would be perfect!

Hit the Lights

2008-08-07T21:55:00.004-04:00

I think everyone should sneak into a movie at least once in their life. Tor and I went to see Sisterhood II today (which we paid for...) and we tried to go see Mamma Mia afterwards, but it wouldn't fit into our schedule. We saw Dark Knight instead, and it was SOOOOO good!

Batman is forreal my favorite super-hero... He rocks. And stupid Gotham; they just don't appreciate him. One day.

Today was seriously the best day ever. Tor and I had so much fun seeing movies and taking crazy pictures. It's good to be home.

Dang Right!

2008-08-07T10:48:00.002-04:00

I'm BACCCCCCCCCCCCK!

Sehr Liebe

2008-08-05T09:22:00.002-04:00

Guten Morgen!

This is forreal my last email... I had to pay for the internet again so Sarah and I could figure out what time the last train leaves. I think we're going to end up spending the night at the airport since it's 45 minutes away from the main part of Munich and we really don't want to miss our flight.

Any and all prayers would be appreciated. Hopefully I'll only have to pay for my luggage one more time, and hopefully everything I've bought over here will make it back in one piece. Not to mention that Lufthansa has a major strike going on right now, so let's all pray that our flight isn't one of the ones that is cancelled. We only have to make it back to Warsaw... Then to Chicago and the Atlanta. So tomorrow is going to be a very long and tiring day. Hopefully I'll be able to sleep most of the time. We should be back in the states by 1:30pm Central Time tomorrow. YAY! for time changes and what is sure to be some major jet lag.

I uploaded the last of the pictures that I took. See everyone soon! Ich Lieben Sie!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

Aufwiedersehen, Mariah

Pieces of ME

2008-08-04T08:58:00.003-04:00

I cannot wait to be home!!!!!!!!!! Only a day left and then I will be there, YAY!!!! And I get to see my one and only bestest friend Doug. Could life possibly get any better? I think not.

The Hills Are Alive!

2008-08-02T05:04:00.003-04:00

Guten Tag!

I'm sitting in our hotel in Munich eating my Nutella & Go! and thinking that today is going to be a lovely day! Because guess what I'm doing today??? Absolutely NOTHING! Sarah and her friend are taking the train to Salzburg (the town in Austria where the Sound of Music was filmed), and I was supposed to go with them, but I have experienced a bit of a setback. When Sarah and I got to the Krakow airport on Thursday morning to check out baggage in, I was informed that mine was over the weight limit. Apparently, Lufthansa has changed their weight requirements, and I had to pay 315zl (or 130 American Dollars) to check both of my bags. So, now I'm going to have to pay to check my baggage with Lufthansa on the way back to Warsaw when we leave to come back to the states.... So that puts me here, in the hotel room, doing nothing today.

I guess it won't be that bad, the Hauptbahnhof (main bus station) is a two minute walk and there are tons of places to eat and buy stuff, so I'll probably wander down there during the course of the day. I'm not sure that I trust myself enough to take the S-Bahn down to the Marienplatz. We all know how well I do with directions. So, I'll stay here, surf the internet and read. It'll be a nice relaxing day.

Today will actually be the only day that I have internet access, I had to pay 17 euros to use it for the day! Ahh! That's $26 American dollars. What a ripoff, but since I had nothing else to do today and I actually have a small paper that needs to be turned in for one of my classes, I figured I sort of had an excuse. So, Dad, feel free to donate some money to the "Give Mariah the Internet Foundation", cause this is the only way y'all will be able to talk to me while I'm here...

The weather is nice today, which means it isn't super-hot like it has been since we got here. So, I'm hoping that I won't die of heat exhaustion in our hotel room. They don't have air conditioning here, and I think we'll all gotten used to it; the weather has just been unnaturally hot.

And, I'm so proud of myself... I've done really well with my German since being here. I can at least recognize most of the words on the signs, and I've been able to order food and ask for directions-- all without the person I'm speaking to realizing that I'm an American. Once the people figure out that you're American they'll talk to you in English, and that totally defeats the purpose. Now if only I could master the subway system.

I also thought I would mention that I have not eaten American food since I got here-- only German food. Which is AMAZING! I really didn't think I would like it, but everything I've had so far has been Sehr gut! Today I might break down and go to the BK in the Bahnhof; they have so very interesting things on their menu that just look to weird to pass up! haha

I'll try to upload the few pictures I've taken since we got here, and the rest will just have to wait until I make it back home. Thanks again for letting me share this incredible experience with y'all. This will be the last email, and I hope that you've enjoyed them. Much love!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

Aufwiedersehen und Vielen Dank!
Mariah

Have It Your Way

2008-07-29T16:58:00.003-04:00

Czesc',

Today was AMAZING! Mostly because we had our one final, and I think that all of us spent last night and early this morning freaking out about it. MAJOR ANXIETY!!! Turns out, we all freaked out for nothing because the final was super-easy. We had terms to identify and two essays to write, but he was really lenient about what he expected from us. I love summer study abroad!

Today Liz and I had some extra time so we went to the mall and got our hair cut. Angie, don't kill me! I promise it looks really cute; I totally fit in over here! But they have the weirdest way of cutting hair. They take a razor like you would use to shave a guy's head and pull your hair taught with a comb, then shave the ends off. It's extreme razoring. Now I can say that I've had my hair cut in Europe!

Tomorrow is our last day here in Krakow, and I think it's finally starting to hit me that I'm soon to be leaving this amazing place. I've had so many wonderful experiences here, and I hope that I can return someday.

We're going to try and go see the parts of Wawel Castle that we have not yet made it to, and then we're going to go paddle boating on the Vistula River. I'm sure tomorrow will be a bittersweet day for many of us.

But, I'm going to try and keep the mushiness to a minimum.

Sarah and I leave on Thursday for Munich, so tomorrow night I'm going to pack my stuff because we have to be at the airport by 4 am. Our flight leaves at 6:30, and we should be in Munich by about 8:00 am... I cannot wait! So, I'll try to email one last time tomorrow night; I don't think I'll have access to the internet while I'm in Deutschland. Much Love!

Without Love

2008-07-28T18:24:00.003-04:00

Life is like a prom that won't invite us.

Gnomes Rock! (No pun intended...)

2008-07-26T03:28:00.006-04:00

Czesc',

Yesterday we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, and I think it's most definitely one of the highlights of the trip! I have uploaded new pictures from there, but I'm not sure I liked how some of them turned out. Flash made the pictures too yellowish, so I had to hold the camera super-still since I decided not to use it. Anways, I think they're good enough for everyone to kind of get the point...

The mine is the second oldest in the world, and it still produces some salt, but only enough so that the mine can stay clear to be used as a tourist attraction. Legend has it that a beautiful Hungarian Princess, named Klinga, was to be married to the Polish Duke Boleslaw who ruled Poland from the royal Wawel Castle. Klinga wanted to help her new peoples to be a prosperous one, so she asked her father to give her a salt mine instead of the usual gold and jewelry. The King conceded and gave his daughter one of Hungary's richest salt mines, but since it was so far away from her new Polish home it would not be of much use to her. The Princess went to the mine before she left for Krakow and threw a valuable ring into the deepest shaft, and she prayed to St. Francis and St. Clare for their help.

In 1239 Klinga arrived in Krakow. She got to know her subjects very well, and her dreams of helping them prosper grew. So, one day, she and her new husband set off in search of a mine, and they discovered Wieliczka. Klinga's intuition told her that this was the perfect place to build the mine, and the next day the labor was started. She was so excited at their discovery that she went down into one of the mine shafts herself and brought some blocks of salt back to the surface. Inside one of those blocks was a glittering object-- it was none other than the ring that she had thrown into her salt mine in Bulgaria. From that moment on, Klinga knew that this place was indeed the perfect place to build her mine.

Of course, the above story is just legend, but the Princess Klinga did exist, and she did wish to help her people to be prosperous. She was canonized a few months before Pope John Paul II's death, and St. Klinga is now the patron St. of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Her chapel is the largest and most exquisite in the mine. I took quite a few pictures there, so y'all can see what I'm talking about. Everything in the chapel: the floors, the statues, the chandeliers, the steps and banisters, is made of rock salt. It took 4 different miners over 70 years to complete the carvings in the chapel, and services are still held there every Sunday. The only thing in the chapel that isn't made of salt are the chandelier's bulbs.

The salt mine has many chapels and statues, all of which have been carved by the miners which have worked in the mine over the decades. I think it is also interesting to note that there has never been any slave labor in the mines; they are always volunteers. It was actually considered on honor to work in the mine. Each work of art has been made out of rock salt, all of which was found within the mine, and none of the work was done by professional artists.

Wieliczka is said to be watched over by someone know as the Treasurer and his daughter, the white Lady. The are said to help the miners should they get lost and bring good fortune to the mine. It is also believed that they sent gnomes to help the miners with their work. Just thought I would add that little fact.

The mine became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, and I think it's a place that everyone should visit! It's quite amazing to see the time and effort that miners have put into making a salt mine one of the most awe-inspiring places in the world. I think this just proves that beauty can be found in all of God's creations-- even a salt mine!

Much love to you all. I have a paper to write for my Jews in Poland class, so I can't promise that I'll send another email today, but I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! And I'll try to write if I get a chance.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

P.S.- Only 10 days and counting left in Europe, so I hope when I get back we can all get together so I can share some of my more interesting experiences in person!

Home is Where the Heart Is

2008-07-24T15:22:00.001-04:00

Czesc',

I know the emails have been short lately, but I've settled into a sort of rhythm here. And I have to say that I like it. The closer it gets to our leaving here the sadder I become just thinking about it. I've had such an amazing time here. I've made some amazing friends and I've had the opportunity to live in what is considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. I know I'll never forget everything that has happened here, and I hope that maybe someday I can come back.

Everyday we get up, get ready, take the tram to the Teatre Bagatella stop, walk to the pastry shop, and go to class. And even though its the same thing everyday, there is something so incredibly amazing about waking up and realizing that you're halfway around the world in a city that has seen so many generations come and go. There are new sights and places to discover everyday, and even the most rundown building has played a part in a history that is bigger than us. What an amazing feeling!

And as crazy as this may sound, I'm really going to miss the public transportation system. I love driving, but it's nice to hop on a bus and go anywhere in the city you want. And it's so much cheaper than paying for gas. I hope that this is something that will become a bigger part of American culture. I know that many big cities have public transportation, but here even the rural areas have access to the bus system.

We watched a foreign film last night that was nominated for an Oscar this year. The film was made in Polish and it had to do with the mass murders commited by the KGB in a small Russian town called Katyn'. The film was incredibly moving-- of course it was related to the WWII period. But, all the places in the movie were places that we have actually been, so seeing them on the big screen in all their historical glory was nice.

So, I guess the point of this entire email was to attempt to say that I'm going to miss Krakow. At the beginning of a long trip like this it's always hard to adjust to being so far away from home; away from familiar sights, sounds, smells, and tastes... And I do miss everyone, but I'm so going to miss it here. After you're in a place for a while, you adjust and it isn't as hard as it was... It's going to be difficult coming back home now and reaclimating myself to driving... And to restaurants that don't post their menus outside (which is nice-- you can see how much their food costs and if they have anything you'll like)... And walking to the corner to pick up a tram... And going to class in a building that is 100s of years old.

But, I'll still be glad to come home and see my family, friends, and dogs. I love all of you, and I'm so glad that, in my own way, I was able to share my journey with you all. Much love. More tomorrow after our trip to the salt mines.

The World's Largest Petting Zoo

2008-07-21T18:07:00.003-04:00

Czesc',

I'm back! I really missed e-mailing everyone over the weekend, and I have so much to tell that I'm afraid I'll forget something... So we left at 9:30 in the morning from the Piast for Lviv, and I think we made it there at around 9:30 at night. It's actually only a four hour driving trip, but the condition of the roads, Friday traffic, and being stuck at the border really put us behind schedule. Plus we had to make quite a few stops so that everyone could use the bathroom... haha Once we finally got to the border we made it through the Polish half in about 45 minutes. They had to come onto the bus and take everyone's passports. A bunch of us were sitting in the back joking and laughing, and I said that I wished we could take pictures of the guy who was on the bus inspecting us. One of the guys took his camera out and snapped a picture of the border patrol guy, and the guy looked really angry and said "No Picture!" So we were afraid that we were going to get in trouble. The guy came back and took Austin's camera, and he looked at the picture and told us that it was an ugly picture and we should have taken one of his partner who was a female. Well, as you can imagine, we died laughing.... After he got off the bus our teachers told us that is was fine to act that way with the Polish, but they told us not to even speak when the Ukrainians got on the bus. They said that they probably wouldn't understand English and would think that we were making fun of them....

We got to the Polish border and spent a little over two hours there. And once we made it into the Ukraine we had to endure roads that were even worse than the roads in the Polish countryside. But, what can you expect from a former communist country? It took us quite a while to make it to the little town we were staying in, Bibrka. And even longer to maneuver the bus to the place where we were staying. The Catholic church in Bibrka has a place where children from the town can come and stay, sort of like the Ukrainian version of the YMCA. The priest in charge was a very nice man who was fluent in Polish and he was very excited to have our group staying in their small village.

That night we had a late dinner, cooked by our very own Babushka, and since it was Friday we had fish. The food was pretty good, but we were all so tired from the long bus ride that it was really hard to enjoy. The next day we got up early and drove into Lviv, or Lwow as the Ukranians still call it. The city is only about 29 KM away, but the way the roads are lain out I think it took about an hour to get there.

Our tour guides name was Natalia, and she spoke English very well. I don't think Dr. Powell or the two Polish women who were with us appreciated her very much. She had a tendency to change facts about Ukranian history so that the Polish part was never mentioned. Poland actually played a big part in the history of the Ukraine-- Lviv was even part of Poland at one time. Anyways... Natalia took us around the entire city, and she was rather boring. Our professors were making fun of her and we all couldn't wait to take a lunch break and get away from her. We ate McDonalds, and it was amazing. Sometimes it's nice to get something and know exactly what you're eating. When I ordered my food the girl couldn't understand a word I was saying, but yet when the guy behind me ordered in English she understood exactly what he wanted. I don't think the Ukranians liked us...

In Lviv there is a really cool market that sells everything from traditional Ukranian embroidery to "antique" Communist artifacts. It was pretty awesome. Paul bought an ex-military hat with the Communist sickle on it; it's rather entertaining. I wish I had taken a picture. The guy he bought the hat from kept trying to tell us it was real and sell us some of the other communist leftovers that he had. I think he liked us. haha I did buy an old German childrens book from him, which is cool. I also finally found a set of nesting dolls that weren't super-expensive. Can't wait to show them to everyone!

When we got back to the place we were staying we had the best meal I've had since arriving in Europe. Mashed potatoes and some kind of fried meat (you don't ask what it is here; you just eat it... haha) and fried pumpkin and cucumber salad. YUMMMM. Is everyone hungry now? If you're not, then you should be.

We packed and left the next morning to head into Lviv for a day of touring before heading back to Krakow. We went to a museum of old peasant houses and churches from each region of the Ukraine. It's an outside museum that is set up to resemble the regions where the dwellings are originally from. Each homestead was actually physically moved from hundreds of miles away and many are over a hundred years old. It was neat, but we were all so fed up with our tour guide that we didn't really enjoy the multitude of thatched roofs.

Lviv has a very large cemetery with thousands of graves, so it was our last stop before heading back. Y'all know how much I love cemeteries, so I took tons of pictures.

The ride back didn't take quite as long as it did to get to Ukraine, but we still had to spend quite some time at the Ukranian border so they could inspect the bus and thoroughly check our passports. And I speak for the entire group when I say that going to class today was not an easy thing to accomplish. We didn't get much sleep this weekend, and the bus ride was exhausting; I think it'll be a while before I catch up on all this missed sleep. But, it was so worth it. Going to the Ukraine was an experience I won't soon forget.

Now, I'm off to bed. I think my lack of sleep has affected my motor skills. I just fell on Liz and almost took my laptop screen off in the process-- not good. haha So, go check out all the new pictures, and give me some feedback... As always, much love.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

P.S.- In reference to the title of this email I would just like to say that Ukraine is, indeed, the world's largest petting zoo. Complete with cows, goats, horses, and pigs on leashes. The only thing they were missing was the chickens, on leashes that is. I do not jest.

Ukraine

2008-07-17T17:13:00.004-04:00

Czesc',

Last night a bunch of us went downstairs to the club in the Piast and did karaoke. It was crazy! I think I had forgotten how much fun it is to just be crazy sometimes.

Today Jeff Palis, the director of the study abroad program, met with us during our evening class and we discussed how the program has been so far and some of the problems and adventures we've had since arriving here. I don't think we've done anything productive in that class, but I'm all for a free one hour credit!!!

Right now I'm trying to quickly type this e-mail so that I can finish packing. We leave for Lviv, Ukraine tomorrow at 9:00am, and I think we're all a little nervous. They said the bus ride will take anywhere from 4 to 5 hours, and to bring plenty of snacks. The border to the Ukraine was just opened earlier this year, so thankfully we didn't have to get special visas to go in, but they're still holding on to some post-communist tendencies. We could be stuck at the border for up to 5 hours waiting on them to let us through. There is also the problem of not knowing any Ukranian or Russian, but I'm up for the adventure.

I won't be sending any e-mails until sometime Monday night. I just thought I would let everyone know ahead of time. I know that it'll be hard to go 3 days without my fabulous e-mails, but I'm sure y'all will survive. I plan on coming back with tons of new pictures and stories. Sleep well.

SPQR

2008-07-16T13:31:00.002-04:00

Czesc',

Every time we go to a museum I leave thinking that it's the coolest museum I've ever been to... I guess each one just gets better and better. The Czartoryskich Museum is where we went today, and it has everything from famous paintings to ancient Roman, Greek, and Egyptian artifacts. I wish I could have taken some pictures, but as is usually the case, we weren't allowed.

We were trying to figure out how such a large collection of artifacts from ancient Rome made their way to Krakow, but I don't have any answers. They had urns telling ancient mythological stories like Hercules defeating the Lion and Penelope with her suitors, actual coins from the time of Julius Caesar and other subsequent emperors, and mummies with their sarcophagi from Egypt. I've never actually seen artifacts from ancient Egypt, so as one can imagine, I was practically drooling over them when we walked into the room. Liz and Paul thought it was pretty funny, but they also loved that I could tell them some interesting facts about the Roman and Egyptians artifacts and the myths that pertain to them (Jeff, excessive reading does come in handy!).

This museum also had a large collection of odds and ends. A medieval device used to make playing cards, ancient horse tails decorated for battle, and a Turkish military tent. I was very impressed. Not to mention, that the Czartoryskich Museum is one of only six in the world to house a work of art by the grand master Leonardo da Vinci. His painting: "Lady With an Ermine" is housed in the museum. It is considered to be the most well-preserved painting of his that exists. During the second World War the painting was actually stolen by the Nazis; after the war it was found in an ex-commander's Bavarian country house and returned to Krakow. The Poles are very proud to own this painting and almost every person living in Krakow has a copy hanging somewhere in their house.

I really wish I could have taken pictures so that you could see just how fabulous this museum was. It looks so unassuming on the outside, and Liz and I probably never would have gone if it weren't for Paul suggesting that we should go. So, next time you're in Krakow, check out the Czartoryskich Museum-- it's worth it!!! Much love to you all.

P.S.- I've attached a copy of the famous painting so that everyone can see what I am talking about.

So Long, Farewell

2008-07-15T16:39:00.002-04:00

Czesc',

Today our "Jews in Poland" class went back to Kazimierz with Dr. Galas, our professor and he took us on a personal tour of the old synagogues and other important Jewish sites there. He is so knowledgeable about everything that it is kind of overwhelming. Every place we went he was able to get us in for free or next to nothing and he was constantly running into people who were praising him for his research. I am very blessed to be taking this class.

Most of the Jewish Temples were destroyed or used as storage houses during the second World War, so most of what we saw were the buildings that have been rebuilt to look as historically accurate as possible. I have quite a few pictures that I took today, and I'm rather proud of how they turned out.

The weather is getting better; it didn't rain today, but it was overcast and cool-- I'm not complaining.

I've made some amazing new friends since being here, and I hope that we all hang out after going back to Southern. One of the guys actually has family that lives in Brunswick, so for the past few weeks I've been hanging out with a Townie. Who knew??? And my roommate, Liz, is the coolest. I'm glad that she and I decided to room together; we get along really well and we have alot in common... I think we actually get along better than most roommates, and for that I am very glad. That's one less thing on the trip to worry about.

It has been hard to enjoy myself-- before we left I started having problems with my shoulder and collar bone, and since we got here the pain has intensified. I now have a huge knot on my shoulder, and I'm hoping that it doesn't get any worse in these last few weeks that we're here. So, if everyone would like to pray for me, it would be greatly appreciated.

I'm going to bed, hopefully my Aleve will kick in soon and my shoulder will stop throbbing. Much love.

Oh, and P.S.- I'm sorry my spelling and grammar are atrocious in most of my e-mails... It's late here when I write them and I get so entranced that I forget to pay attention to what I'm doing. :) That's my excuse.

5:19

2008-07-14T18:37:00.003-04:00

Czesc',

So, mother, I'm sorry that it's only 6:15 in the pm y'alls time and I have not yet e-mailed. What a horrible person I am.... haha I've been up late playing cards; the weather has been kind of gross here, so we've had to be creative and come up with things to keep us entertained.

I feel like a loser for emailing and not having any cool stories or even new pictures to share. I know we're all glad for the rain because it means our classrooms and dorm rooms stay cooler, and that is a major plus when you're in a country that doesn't do air conditioning. So I guess I'll be thankful for small blessings, but I do hope the weather clears up for tomorrow. Our teacher, Dr. Galas, is taking the class back to Kazimierz, but we'll actually get to see the Jewish cemetery and synagogue. I believe he's taking us to a few other museums as well-- oh how I love non-traditional classes!

Since we have been staying in the past few days I have taken it as an opportunity to read and listen to some music. I wish I had brought more books; I brought two and I've read both of them already. *sigh* But, at least I have my iPod so I can listen to some good tuneage when I get a chance. It's funny the things you miss... Speaking of, here's a list of things that I miss:

1. Actually seeing my family and grandma and having face-to-face conversations

2. My BFF's To Def (you know who you are...)

3. Fletcher, Tobie, and Jack
4. Driving

5. Rocking out to my iPod while driving

6. Being able to turn up my music in my room and jam

7. Near-death experiences (for you Tori and Desh)

8. 813

9. Coffee

10. Mint Mojito Flavored Orbit

11. easy access to books

12. HGTV

13. cooking

14. my red tweezers which I seem to have lost

15. the beach

16. Pablos

17. free water at restaurants

18. summer movies in English

19. baths

20. did I mention air conditioning?????

I think that about sums it up. I'm not complaining; I really do LOVE it here, but it's funny what kinds of crazy things you can miss after being away from home. And the air conditioning thing isn't that bad; there have only been two days in which the temperature rose above 90 degrees. I can deal. So, until tomorrow. Much love.

Re- A Drop of Golden Sun

2008-07-12T16:18:00.001-04:00

Czesc',

Today was the hottest day since we've been here! It was eighty-eight degrees, and walking around the city has never been so hard... Liz, Sarah, Grant and I spent the day trying to get to the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec which is a small mountain town about 15 minutes outside of Krakow'. Liz has a guidebook that is specifically for Krakow' and it told us that we would have to take a bus to get to Tyniec. So, we hopped on a tram and road all the way downtown where the guidebook told us the bus station was located. The book didn't actually give us any specifics-- it just said that the bus station was located behind the train station. Fabulous. We ended up on the other side of town and had to try and find someone to give us directions. Sarah attempted to ask an older man for directions, in Polish I might add, but he didn't understand what she was asking, so she just showed him the words in her phrase book and he pointed us in the right direction. haha

We had to trek all the way back to the train station, but we still couldn't figure out where we needed to go. So, Liz and I went inside one of the connected tourism kiosks and the guy gave us a map and told us which tram and bus we had to take to get there. (Now that we have our bus/tram passes we can go wherever we please, which is nice.) So, we took the tram and then couldn't figure out which bus stop we were supposed to wait at. We missed the first bus and sat at the stop for over an hour. Just when we had decided that it would probably be best to head back to town we met a family from Ireland who was trying to figure out how to get to Tyniec as well. We told them what bus they had to take and we figured out that in 15 minutes the next bus would be coming...

The mother and her two sons are here in Krakow' to sing for the monks, so we might go back to the Abbey tomorrow night to hear them. We did decide to go after all, and it was breathtaking! It's crazy how things work out. Just when we had decided to give up and go back home, God sent someone who was going to the exact same place as we were. It sure makes you appreciate the little things. We would have been so upset after spending out entire day trying to get to the Abbey only to have to give up and go back home.

Today Liz and I decided that we needed to do some laundry since our underwear supply was quickly dwindling. I took a few pictures, so go look, and have fun gloating. I know you will. It really wasn't that bad actually, except that now our underwear is crunchy from being line-dried. I won't tell you the alliteration that Liz and I made up to go along with it. haha

Well, that is all for tonight. I'll write more tomorrow. Love.

All The World's A Stage

2008-07-11T18:51:00.001-04:00

Dzien Dobry,

Today was another amazing day. I think that the first week of being here was hard because there were so many new things to get used to: the food, language, people, places, sounds, and especially smells. I feel like I'm finally starting to figure things out, and today when someone tried to hand me a flyer (people pass out flyers for everything here, at all times of the day) I told them "Dziekuje Nie" (No Thanks) without batting an eyelash. I was so proud of myself. haha It sounds like such a minor accomplishment, but it's so very exciting to feel the culture and language taking root inside of you.

Friday is a field trip day, but due to some last-minute budget cuts the field trip for my "Jews in Poland" class was cancelled. Dr. Powell offered to let us come along with her class for their trip, and I'm so glad I did. We left early this morning and walked to the oldest market place in all of Poland. People from all over the state come to sell fruits, vegetables, cheeses, pastries, meats, and other handmade items. It was fascinating to walk around and sample all the different things that were there, especially since we had Dr. Powell to order for us.

After the market we walked to the Krakow National Museum. The museum is a conglomeration of many different items. Their current main exhibit is a large exhibition of modern art-- which even includes some portraits of famous Jewish people that Andy Warhol was commissioned to draw. But, the coolest part was their permanent collection of armor, swords, guns, and cavalry paraphernalia that has been donated/collected from the Germans, Polish, French, and Italians. I can't say enough about how cool this place was. They started in the 13th century and went all the way up to WWII items. They even has clothes and a large collection of antique furniture. I'm a geek, and for me this place was pretty close to perfect. I could have stayed all day, but I suppose 3 hours was okay too.

Tonight we actually stayed out late and hung around the theatre festival in the old square. There are tons of actors, comedians, and dancers that have traveled from all over the world to show Krakow just what they've got. We watched this guy from Canada who does a comedy routine by involving people from the audience. He was like a modern-day Charlie Chaplin. I don't think I've laughed as hard as I did tonight in a long time. Sarah, Liz, and I are planning on going back tomorrow night to watch him again, so I will try to video some of his routine. He is too funny not to share with everyone. After his routine we went and watched some fire jugglers/eaters for a little while and then we went to see a Ukrainian theatre troop do their hour-long presentation. It was very odd to say the least, and mostly involved people on stilts in nude body suits throwing paper at each other. Don't ask! The coolest part about that was meeting a younger couple, their children, and their adorable golden retriever, Charlie. They lived in New York City for eight years and moved back to Krakow one year ago. The woman is originally from Krakow and her husband is from the states. Charlie made the evening much more enjoyable, and I think seeing him made me miss Fletcher and Tobie even more. (Mom, Dad, Olivia, you better be taking good care of my kids!)

Obviously, today was a much better day than the past few have been, and we even got our bus passes! (This is quite a big deal...) So, I figured, since I'm writing this terribly long e-mail I could take a few moments to answer some of the questions that y'all have been asking...

No, there is not a Wal-Mart in Poland. They don't really do super-stores/all-in-one shops like that here. There are a few chain-style grocery stores, but most people go to the market or the huge mall to get whatever they may need. Speaking of the mall, it is so incredibly AWESOME! It's like the Polish version of the Mall of America.

The only American restaurants that we've seen here are: McDonalds (of course!), KFC, and Subway. Everything else is locally owned. There are a total of two laundries in this city, both of which are outrageously expensive, and most people don't have washers, much less, dryers in their flats. So, hand-washing and line-drying it is! It's considered rude to smile at people when you walk past them on the streets, especially the older people-- they think you're laughing at them.

When I think of more interesting tidbits I'll try to remember to put them in here. This country and everything about it is wonderful, and I hope that someday after this trip I'll be able to come back. Love you all. Goodnight.

Still Alive

2008-07-10T16:02:00.002-04:00

Czesc',

So, yes, I am okay and still alive. I love how the fact that I didn't send an e-mail out yesterday had people wondering if I was okay. I do appreciate the thought, but I was exhausted yesterday so I fell asleep.

This weekend there is a class trip to Warsaw for people who paid extra and were interested. Some of us were trying to find train or plane tickets to other cities like Budapest or Vienna, but with the rise in gasoline it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere. So, I'll get back to y'all on that....

Today we just did more random walking around. There is a theatre festival that started today in the middle of the old square and tons of people came to cook traditional Polish food and sell baskets, gingerbread, and goat cheese. It's pretty awesome. We had some amazing kebobs that were cooked over this huge open fire.

Last night a bunch of the guys stole a shopping cart from the grocery store that is right outside the Piast. They kept us up ALL night running down the hallway, and eventually they ran into a door and tore if off its hinges. Gees, no wonder everyone has a bad opinion of Americans. And don't even get me started on techo music... There is a karaoke bar downstairs and EVERY night they blast the techo music. That is one thing I will definitely not miss about Poland. And right now the crazy Germans down the hall are playing the bongo...

I decided that when I get back I should start walking more often. I guess I didn't realize how much of a workout it really is. Here everyone walks everywhere, or they take the tram. I really wish that public transportation was an option back home, because I would be all for it. I know that every day we walk for at least 8 hours, so I'm definitely getting my excercise in.

Tomorrow Dr. Powell (the GSU professor who is actually from Poland) is taking us to a local museum that is just about Krakow and to a local market that sells pastries, fruit, veggies, and homemade cheeses. I can't wait! Every day is something new and exciting, and I am really starting to learn my way around here.

I think another part of the reason I didn't write yesterday is because I was afraid of boring everyone. Even though not we don't go to places like Auschwitz every day, I still feel that life here, in general, is so exciting. So, I am going to go finish uploading my pictures. I hope everyone is enjoying them so far. And I cannot wait to see what tomorrow will bring. Much love.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful

2008-07-07T17:19:00.003-04:00

Czesc,

Today was such a nice, relaxing day after yesterday. We had our second class meeting of the trip. I don't think any of us realized what a privilege it is to be taught by the professor that we have. Dr. Galas is the foremost scholar on Jewish History in Europe. So, I'm looking forward to this class...

We finally got a chance to go eat at a Milk Bar, which is a traditional Polish restaurant that has nothing to do with actual milk. Dr. Powell took us and since she is actually Polish, the ordering went a lot smoother than it would have if we had attempted to order. Our Polish is still in need of some major practice! haha

I took the most pictures today that I have so far on the entire trip, so they'll pretty much explain the kind of day we had. Most of them are of churches-- which just happen to be my favorite part of traveling; they're always so beautiful. Each church is like a present, you never know what you will find inside. My favorite church has been the Dominican church. I took quite a few pictures of it the other day, but today a couple of the guys wanted to see it. They said we bragged about it so much that it couldn't possibly live up to the standards we had set-- they loved it! So, I took some more picture of things I couldn't get to the other day.

Three of us took a walk down to the old town because the weather was so beautiful tonight. Even at 9 o'clock there is still a golden sunset over the city. We got there and managed to get a few shots in before the sky broke loose. So, after one bus ride back to the closet bus stop and a mile walk back to the dorm I am now sitting here sopping wet on my bed. Nice visual, I know.

The weather hasn't been quite what we expected. It has rained quite a bit, which stinks since I forgot to pack an umbrella and keep forgetting to buy one. On the days that it rains the temperature is perfect! It's 70* with no humidity. But, most days it's just as hot as Statesboro minus the humidity. I guess I can't complain. We have a few perfect days, and those make up for all the rainy, boiling ones.

The pictures just finished uploading, so I guess I should start ending this e-mail. Sorry I haven't been writing captions on the pictures; I've been so tired when I sit down to do all of this every night that it's all I can do to upload pictures and write these e-mails. Love you all.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

2008-07-06T13:23:00.004-04:00

Dzien Dobry,

I feel as though I have thousands of images floating around in my mind, and I wish that I could use words to accurately describe them, but I cannot. How does one visit a place where so many people were systematically and ruthlessly murdered?

Today was a long, hard day. I am both physically and emotionally drained. I know that most most of you know the history of WWII and the atrocities that were committed against the Jews (and the Roma, Russian Soldiers, and Gays as well), but until you have visited those places in which these horrid acts were carried out you can never truly understand.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is situated outside of a thriving Polish town that once had an extremely large Jewish population, and are actually two different concentration-death camps located about 2KM from each other. These two camps were the worst and largest in all of Europe, and are the sites of the largest systematic extermination of peoples that the world has ever seen. Auschwitz, many may recognize it from the main gate which reads: "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Will Set You Free). This camp started as a work camp only, but eventually it was the place where the very first gas chambers and crematoriums were built and used. The Germans then built bigger gas chambers and crematoriums inside of Birkenau when they discovered how much more efficient it was to exterminate the Jews this way. In Birkenau, up to 1,500 Jews could be executed at a time once placed within the gas chambers. Their bodies were then taken to the crematorium to be burned. Oftentimes, so many were killed daily that the German soldiers would gather up the bodies and throw them into huge pits in the ground. When you look at my pictures this can be seen in each of the pictures I took where a green lake is present. The ashes from the bodies causes the "lakes" to remain eternally green, and the area around them is extremely fertile ground. Two days before the camps were liberated the Germans destroyed the gas chambers and crematoriums, so the ruins in my pictures are what is left of these facilities. I also feel that I should add the sizes of these two camps: Auschwitz was 15 acres and Birkenau was 300 acres. Maybe that will give you some idea as to the vastness of Birkenau and how many people it was designed to hold and ultimately kill.

There is so much to tell, but I cannot fully express it in e-mail form. The sites of Auschwitz and Birkenau were truly moving places. Just to step into the cells, baracks, and hospital where the infamous Dr. Mengele performed his experiments has forever changed my life. Some may think I am over exaggerating, but I suppose everyone will just have to see for themselves.

The pictures are posted, and if anyone has any specific questions about any of them I'd be happy to answer them.

Kazimierz

2008-07-05T16:23:00.004-04:00

Czesc,

Today was quite a change from the past few days. This was our only free weekend, so I guess they decided to just let us enjoy ourselves.

We went on a tour of the Jewish District which is referred to as Kazimierz. Kazimierz used to be a completely separate city from Krakow. After a great fire burned down part of Krakow, the once welcome Jews were forced by the king to move to Kazimierz. The cities grew so big that eventually they both merged. The Jews lived there until WWII when they were forced by the Germans to move over the bridge to the ghetto, or taken to concentration camps. Most of the citizens from Kazimierz were never actually sent to Auschwitz. Just an FYI. Today and tomorrow are the last days of the Jewish Festival that goes on here every year. Tonight they had a huge concert with Jewish bands and musicians, some of whom were even flown in from Israel. Many people flocked to the area, and we met a lot of Jewish people who had flown in from America for the week.

Four of us girls actually spent most of the afternoon at a small Italian restaurant in the square listening to the music and befriending a British and a Scottish guy. They loved my accent, and kept asking me questions so that I would have to repeatedly say "y'all". I love that it's so easy to meet new people over here. It's such a different culture. And, despite the fact that I will never see those guys again, I feel like it was part of this whole experience. Meeting new people from different cultures and learning about each other. Brilliant! (as they would say)

Tomorrow we go to Auschwitz-Birkenau for what, I am sure, will be the most somber and life-changing experience of this entire trip. So, I'm sure I'll have plenty to talk about and tons of pictures for everyone tomorrow afternoon (your time). I'm going to bed now.

P.S., I Love Y'all

2008-07-04T16:39:00.002-04:00

Czesc,
today was SO much better than the past two days. We had our first day of class, which seems like it will be really interesting. None of the buildings here are air conditioned, so that means our class room isn't air conditioned, and the Professor talked without the lights on the whole time. Classes are two and a half hours long, and at halfway through he put a video in about Medieval Jewish history in Poland. The video was subtitled in Hebrew, Polish, and German. It's pretty bad when you are excited to hear German because it's a language you actually understand. To sum it up: lack of air conditioning + no lights + foreign language overload= naptime.

Class got out at 12:00 and Sarah, Liz, and I ate McDonalds to celebrate the fourth. We ate desert at an amazing cafe' on the main square. I even ordered in Polish! It's the first time I tried to speak the language and the waitress didn't laugh at me(even when I broke out the phrase book because I couldn't remember the correct pronunciation of a word)! Przepraszam. I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of the language, at least a little bit.

After our fabulous deserts we spent the rest of the day walking around the entire city. We saw some amazing cathedrals (I think we actually spent two hours in one; it was so beautiful we didn't want to leave), walked to the Vistula River, and the Jewish district Kazimierz. All of the pictures I took have been uploaded to Picasa, and I'll put the link at the bottom of the email like I did last time.

I wish the I could have put everyone in my suitcase and brought them with me-- no amount of pictures or e-mails can describe the beauty of this place. I'm still in awe of the fact that I was blessed with the opportunity to come here and study.

Tomorrow we'll spend the day touring Kazimierz with and actual tour guide, so I'm sure I'll have plenty more pictures to share.

I really appreciate every writing back! It's nice to know that people are actually interested in reading all of this stuff I write. I'm sorry I haven't replied, but I barely have time to write these e-mails and upload pictures. Our days are filled with lots of food, history, and walking. A girl can't complain. These ten+ hour days of walking and minimum food are certainly grueling, but I can't say that I won't be in shape when I return. LOL I'll e-mail tomorrow!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

Oh, Miles of Walking

2008-07-04T16:38:00.006-04:00

Dobry Wieczor,

I can officially say that I have NEVER walked as much in my entire life as I did today. I think the Pols are trying to prove once and for all that Americans are lazy. Well, they succeeded. Most people spent the entire day whining about all the walking, which did include lots of stairs, hills, and cobblestones. Despite the excessive walking and the fact that today at dinner was the first time in three days I've had one full meal (I guess those jean shorts that I brought will fit after all), Krakow is a beautiful city! I got some amazing pictures, and saw some beautiful churches.

We went to the school today where we will be studying, and found out that they've had some problems with the teacher who is supposed to be teaching our Jews in Poland class. So, they had to rearrange the schedule. They also told us that prices for our bus passes went up, so we thought we were going to have to walk an hour to school everyday, but thankfully they are working on this situation. You can definately tell that we are the guinea pig group for this trip.

We had our first Polish Culture and Language quiz today, but Dr. Wellford was so tired and fed up with all the walking, bus, and scheduling problems that he pretty much just gave us the answers. So, I suppose something good did come out of today.

Tomorrow is our first actual day of class, and we all (the students) decided that the best way to deal with everything was to make the trip back to Jagiellonian together. Getting there is easier said than done, so I imagine we'll be leaving an hour early for our 9:30 class. We're all a little stressed about it-- we have an eight page paper to write and TONS of reading. But, we're in a beautiful city, so I suppose I can take the trade off.

Here is the link to the website where I uploaded the first set of Poland photos. They're not great, but I haven't had time to really stand around and take many pictures. Too much walking!
http://picasaweb.google.com/sherlock272

Sorry this e-mail was so whiny. I think I speak for the entire group when I say that it was a very trying day. And despite all of my protests, being in Europe is WONDERFUL!!! Love you all!

First Day

2008-07-04T16:38:00.005-04:00

Dzien' Dobry! (That means hey y'all in Polish...)
We made it safe and sound to Krakow (or Cracow as they spell it here) after three long and very grueling plane trips. The Chicago airport is absolutely awful and don't even get me started on the 2 propeller plane that we had to take (there was no air conditioning) from Warsaw to Krakow. I think it's probably a good thing that the breakfast they gave us on the plane was inedible, cause otherwise I might have had to use that lovely white bag they provided. It's 5:43 p.m. here and I am so ready to go to bed, but they told us to wait until around 9 o'clock so that we could "reset our internal clocks".
The drive into Krakow from the airport was amazing; it sort of reminded me of driving around the Tuscan countryside. We also caught a glimpse of Wawel Castle, which we'll get to see tomorrow when we get up bright and early for a 9:12 (yes, 9:12; crazy Polish people, what's wrong with 9:15????) tour of the city. So, all in all, it has been a good first few hours. I'm a little stressed at my lack of knowledge of the Polish language, but I'm working on it.
On a closing note, y'all know I can't go anywhere without embarrassing myself, so here goes:
My roommate and I went to the grocery store next to our dorm to buy some food (they food they serve in the cafeteria is pretty gross, so I imagine I'll be losing some weight), and we walked around and picked up a few heavy bottles of water. We decided that a shopping cart would probably be a good idea, but we could not figure out where everyone was getting them from. We finally found them hidden in a dispenser in the corner (you have to pay 2 zloty to get it out), and we didn't have any change. So, this Polish guy who spoke NO English was trying to help us, but we couldn't figure out a word he was saying. He finally gave up and started laughing at us, then walked off. This might not seem embarrassing, but trust me, it was.
I love everyone, and I'm so glad that I have people who care enough about me to listen to my crazy stories and adventures over the next five weeks. I can tell that this is going to be the experience of a lifetime (if only our dorms were air conditioned). I'll write more soon, and I promise next time there will be pictures. If you can believe it, I haven't taken any yet...

Krakow

2008-07-03T14:05:00.002-04:00

I am so dead tired from all this walking. The end.

Long Live Poland!

2008-06-28T10:51:00.005-04:00

I cannot believe that I am packing to go to TN, and that in 3 days I will finally be leaving to go to Poland. It all seems surreal. I mean, it has been four and a half years since I went to Europe, and I was starting to wonder if I was ever going to get to go back. I guess my wish at the Trevi Fountain did come true. YAY!

Oh, it is love.

2008-06-16T20:34:00.006-04:00

Do you ever get into one of "those" moods? You know, the one where you sit around all day watching sappy movies about love and balling your eyes out at every sad moment. This is what I have been reduced to. Maybe it is simply from the fact that I have nothing better to do. Yes, I think that's it. It is not because I am a hopeless romantic who is ready to experience toe-curling, spine-tingling, mind-blowing love... Of course not.
I think when you are younger you believe that the first person you ever date is going to be the one you marry. That person who you allow yourself to so easily fall in love with is supposed to be "the one." So, what happens when they're not? I think I only though I knew what love was, not the love you feel for family and friends, but a true deep unending love. Now, looking back, I can see that I really didn't have a grasp on things. Maybe I did love him, but not in the way you should love someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with. I think I loved him because I looked at him as someone I needed to save. Someone to protect from doing stupid things that kids our age do. Ridiculous, I know.
If you truly love someone it should be for who they are-- not for who you wish they were. So, I'm sorry. To him and myself.
Now I wait; I wait for that one love that will come and sweep me off my feet. When I say "wait" I don't mean in a put-my-life-on-hold, frantically, and hopelessly searching for this person... I mean waiting as in not settling; living my life and having my adventures... Waiting for that one unexpected moment when I realize that in giving up the search I have allowed myself to be found.

Radioactive

2008-06-11T14:03:00.004-04:00

McFly's new album is going to be so incredibly, amazingly, fabulously awesome! I just wish I was going to be at home when it comes out so that Tor and I could have a release party. *sigh*
Do people in Poland like McFly??? Maybe they do, and if they don't, then they should because I HAVE to find a way to get that album as soon as it comes out!
My boys are just so amazing!

Bejiing

2008-05-26T08:03:00.004-04:00

This weekend rocked, forreal. I got to see Leigh for the first time in five months, and Margo, Donovan, and Bradley hung out too. It almost felt like the way it used to-- minus Stephen, of course. I had tons of laugh-till-you-cry moments, which is understandable considering who we were hanging out with. If only we were all still kids, then life wouldn't be so busy and complicated-- Leigh and Stephen would still live here and we would hang out all the time. But, then I suppose we wouldn't have that carefree easyness (we all know everyone has that awkward stage in highschool, where it doesn't matter how long you've known someone-- you're still awkward around them). Besides, being a grown up is KIND of fun, sometimes.