day 53, friday:
- i started my second journal today
- we were really busy running around all day getting ready to go and packing and cleaning and finishing our scabies treatment
- we got to the train station and were worried that our train was canceled because of a nearby tornado, but a guardian angel man explained the departure board and helped us find the right train where we slept in little rooms with stinky strangers that refused to open the windows
- we had to switch trains in cluj, at five in the morning
- enjoyed another lovely train ride reading lots, listening to muzica, and of course eating treats
- we got into budapest around lunch time and headed to the bank to get monies out for our hostel - this is where i realized that i forgot to transfer money from my savings into my checking and the internet at the mcdonalds was not secure enough - thanks dad for fixing that!
- budapest is absolutely beautiful!
- we dropped our junk off at the hostel and went out exploring
- we were lucky to be there on the summer solstice celebration so there was lots of festivities and shopping
here are some pictures from today
sometimes i get these ideas in my mind, and just go with it- therefore i did climb on strangers cars to get high enough for the shot that i wanted - and my room mates thought it was funny
day 55, sunday:
- got up and went to the jewish synogogue, museum, ghetto, and memorial where i learned about:
-the 600,000 hungarian jews that were taken from the ghetto to auschwitz that never returned (that makes every third victim at auschwitz a hungarian)
- how the jews have a list of righteous gentiles in isreal, with the names of people that helped them during the holocaust, like oskar shindler
- got up and went to the jewish synogogue, museum, ghetto, and memorial where i learned about:
-the 600,000 hungarian jews that were taken from the ghetto to auschwitz that never returned (that makes every third victim at auschwitz a hungarian)
- how the jews have a list of righteous gentiles in isreal, with the names of people that helped them during the holocaust, like oskar shindler
- today, all the rabbis in eastern europe are trained in this building
they had a really neat memorial of a willow tree with 600,000 leaves representing those that were killed during the holocaust
after that, we walked to church and guess who i bumped into??? just my beloved long lost friend kev!
and now, here is missionary kev:
isn't he so cute? he saw me and tried to hug me and i told him no, and it was funny and i loved seeing him and talking to him. it was good to see a familiar face, of someone who really knows me.
here is a photo of him, kimmy, and i, dancing our pants off freshman year
and now, here is missionary kev:
isn't he so cute? he saw me and tried to hug me and i told him no, and it was funny and i loved seeing him and talking to him. it was good to see a familiar face, of someone who really knows me.
- after church we walked around this lovely castle and then if was off to the train station to board another sleeper train on its way to krakow:
day 56, monday:
- found our hostel and the boys from moldova that were meeting us there
- we went to wawel castle where there are dragons, and we climbed to the to of this church's bell towers and i wanted to ring the bell really bad but didn't
- we saw rain coming and headed back to the hostel luckily, because it started to hail
- there was a guitar at the hostel!! we had lots and lots of fun with that.
- we went to a jazz show and one of the sax players kept getting really mad at us if we talked and he would give us dirty looks and even swore at us for whispering. whoops. sadly, when we left, there was no one there left to listen to him.
- i didn't take many pictures in krakow. im pare rau. o just kidding, we totally did a human pyramid in the middle of the castle courtyard
- found our hostel and the boys from moldova that were meeting us there
- we went to wawel castle where there are dragons, and we climbed to the to of this church's bell towers and i wanted to ring the bell really bad but didn't
- we saw rain coming and headed back to the hostel luckily, because it started to hail
- there was a guitar at the hostel!! we had lots and lots of fun with that.
- we went to a jazz show and one of the sax players kept getting really mad at us if we talked and he would give us dirty looks and even swore at us for whispering. whoops. sadly, when we left, there was no one there left to listen to him.
- i didn't take many pictures in krakow. im pare rau. o just kidding, we totally did a human pyramid in the middle of the castle courtyard
day 57, tuesday:
- we split up today, and i was designated the leader of my group of girls, so with a map in one hand, and the other in my pocket, i led my friends around the wonderful city
- shopping at h & m all morning - soooo fun!
- we said goodbye to our boys today, i hate goodbyes, especially when you know most likely you will never see them again.
- then, we rented bikes from mike at cruisin krakow and cruised around the city for three hours: one of the most fun things i have ever done in my life. i have never laughed so hard as there were 7 american girls wobbling through crowded streets ringing our little bells to warm the civilians of the upcoming dangers. there were lots of pictures taken, but they are not on my camera and will be added later.
- after that we met up with the other girls in st peter and paul's church for a classical music concert that i loved so so much. the church was beautiful, and the music enchanting.
- so the center of krakow has a big square full of wonderful delights, including different kinds of street performers, including a group of girls singing and doing interpretive dances? true story. we were determined to make some money and might have even kissed a man on the cheek for a few zloty.
- we split up today, and i was designated the leader of my group of girls, so with a map in one hand, and the other in my pocket, i led my friends around the wonderful city
- shopping at h & m all morning - soooo fun!
- we said goodbye to our boys today, i hate goodbyes, especially when you know most likely you will never see them again.
- then, we rented bikes from mike at cruisin krakow and cruised around the city for three hours: one of the most fun things i have ever done in my life. i have never laughed so hard as there were 7 american girls wobbling through crowded streets ringing our little bells to warm the civilians of the upcoming dangers. there were lots of pictures taken, but they are not on my camera and will be added later.
- after that we met up with the other girls in st peter and paul's church for a classical music concert that i loved so so much. the church was beautiful, and the music enchanting.
- so the center of krakow has a big square full of wonderful delights, including different kinds of street performers, including a group of girls singing and doing interpretive dances? true story. we were determined to make some money and might have even kissed a man on the cheek for a few zloty.
because of the events poorly described above, i would consider this day to be one of my favorite days ever.
"... everywhere, there is evidence of the loss of human dignity and religious freedom that the people here suffered..."[also, from here on out, i didn't take many photos but i will steal some from the girls soon]
day 58, wednesday:
i did not take my camera to auschwitz, and don't think i will be able to adequately describe this day, so i am just going to type some thoughts from my journal:
"here i am, a girl with jewish descent, on her way to the place where millions of jews lost their lives. like those before, i came to poland in a train, but unlike them, a comfy sleeper train..."
"... the gate i am sitting next to reads, 'arbeit macht frei' which means, work makes one free. knowing that the nazis forced the prisoners to march out of these gates every morning to literally work themselves to death performing extremely strenuous labor at full speed, on empty stomachs, being harassed by clubs and spades, makes me realize the irony behind that statement. the nazis put it there as motivation to the prisoners, that if they worked hard enough they could be promoted within the prison's ranks, but in all reality the best freedom came when they left that horrible mortal life behind..."
"... there is a building with rooms full of the belongings confiscated from the jews upon their arrival. one of the suitcases stands out to me. it belongs to a woman named stella. i envision a young lady, as beautiful as her name entering the train with her family, looking forward to arriving at the plot of land they bought from the ss. with each stop more and more families are shoved onto the train. rumors of camps worse from the ghetto begin to spread as the elderly and young children try and find places on the floor to rest. 8 long days later, starving and exhausted, she begins her stay in this nightmare. lovely, sweet stella..."
"... 'unlimited, however, are the moral and physical powers, which man has within him' - josef garlinski (survivor)..."
"here i am, a girl with jewish descent, on her way to the place where millions of jews lost their lives. like those before, i came to poland in a train, but unlike them, a comfy sleeper train..."
"... the gate i am sitting next to reads, 'arbeit macht frei' which means, work makes one free. knowing that the nazis forced the prisoners to march out of these gates every morning to literally work themselves to death performing extremely strenuous labor at full speed, on empty stomachs, being harassed by clubs and spades, makes me realize the irony behind that statement. the nazis put it there as motivation to the prisoners, that if they worked hard enough they could be promoted within the prison's ranks, but in all reality the best freedom came when they left that horrible mortal life behind..."
"... there is a building with rooms full of the belongings confiscated from the jews upon their arrival. one of the suitcases stands out to me. it belongs to a woman named stella. i envision a young lady, as beautiful as her name entering the train with her family, looking forward to arriving at the plot of land they bought from the ss. with each stop more and more families are shoved onto the train. rumors of camps worse from the ghetto begin to spread as the elderly and young children try and find places on the floor to rest. 8 long days later, starving and exhausted, she begins her stay in this nightmare. lovely, sweet stella..."
"... 'unlimited, however, are the moral and physical powers, which man has within him' - josef garlinski (survivor)..."
"... i can't even describe the feelings of this place. i am sitting between two gas chambers, where hundreds of thousands of innocent people died. it is so quiet and peaceful, yet i am weeping..."
day 59, thursday:
- not much happened today, except that we woke up and saw all of our laundry that the hostel was doing hanging up to dry in the pouring rain.
- i didn't have my international id card, so while the girls went to the art museum, i walked around krakow and enjoyed the alone time, going to sephora to put on free make up, getting some ice cream and purchasing the tiniest amber necklace i could find.
- took another sleeper train this night back to budapest
day 60, friday:
- once we arrived in budapest we headed straight to the turkish bathes, or as we like to call it, heaven
- as i laid out in the sunshine, surrounded by all the elderly in hungary, i couldn't help but think about my favorite season of swimming pools, lakes, warm nights, bar-b-ques, and camping that i am missing out on. but then i remembered the smiles and laughs of the kids, and remembered why i was here.
day 59, thursday:
- not much happened today, except that we woke up and saw all of our laundry that the hostel was doing hanging up to dry in the pouring rain.
- i didn't have my international id card, so while the girls went to the art museum, i walked around krakow and enjoyed the alone time, going to sephora to put on free make up, getting some ice cream and purchasing the tiniest amber necklace i could find.
- took another sleeper train this night back to budapest
day 60, friday:
- once we arrived in budapest we headed straight to the turkish bathes, or as we like to call it, heaven
- as i laid out in the sunshine, surrounded by all the elderly in hungary, i couldn't help but think about my favorite season of swimming pools, lakes, warm nights, bar-b-ques, and camping that i am missing out on. but then i remembered the smiles and laughs of the kids, and remembered why i was here.
- after the baths we went to the shopping district, then to a crepe place, and back to the train station. i lead the girls everywhere again today. the three subways and numerous trams are actually not that hard to figure once you know where you are and where you want to go, and then all you need is a handy dandy mappy map. i was actually surprised how quickly the girls turned to me and trusted me to lead them around this gigantic city. pygmalion phenomenon at its best.
- i have been reading a book entitled, "the power of kindness", and there is a chapter about generosity and it talks about how true generosity is giving away those things that are dearest to us. therefore, family, i dunno how, but i have made it a goal to give you away :) well, more like share you with someone
day 61, saturday:
- the day started early at one in the morning as we literally jumped onto the train in cluj seconds before it took off. our train from budapest to cluj was twenty mintutes late, which gave us two frantic minutes running around the station to our last train. another example of your prayers for us answered.
- this was our last sleeper train, and my most favorite. i was very tired and very excited to be heading home to my sewer scented stairwell and scabies filled furniture-less apartment i call home
- we got home, unpacked a bit and got right back into the stream of iasi by playing some basketball, romanian style with the missionaries
day 62, sunday, today:
-back to church where we watched saturday afternoon session of conference, ate gogosi and enjoyed the company of our missed branch members.
m&d, i have been waiting on skype for you, but am guessing that you are still at the hospital with grandma. please give her some kisses from me and tell her i love her!
also, can i reserve the cabin for the friday night after my birthday? we want to have a romanian reunion slash birthday party there for mackenzie, elder armstrong, and i.
alright, i will not keep you any longer. go do something good, and remember that i love you all!
yikes this is long!
- i have been reading a book entitled, "the power of kindness", and there is a chapter about generosity and it talks about how true generosity is giving away those things that are dearest to us. therefore, family, i dunno how, but i have made it a goal to give you away :) well, more like share you with someone
day 61, saturday:
- the day started early at one in the morning as we literally jumped onto the train in cluj seconds before it took off. our train from budapest to cluj was twenty mintutes late, which gave us two frantic minutes running around the station to our last train. another example of your prayers for us answered.
- we got home, unpacked a bit and got right back into the stream of iasi by playing some basketball, romanian style with the missionaries
day 62, sunday, today:
-back to church where we watched saturday afternoon session of conference, ate gogosi and enjoyed the company of our missed branch members.
m&d, i have been waiting on skype for you, but am guessing that you are still at the hospital with grandma. please give her some kisses from me and tell her i love her!
also, can i reserve the cabin for the friday night after my birthday? we want to have a romanian reunion slash birthday party there for mackenzie, elder armstrong, and i.
alright, i will not keep you any longer. go do something good, and remember that i love you all!
yikes this is long!
