seeing the sights

Hello all!

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I am going to claim the fact that I went to the Czech Republic for a week, and the getting ready/traveling/settling back in has taken a long time. First of all, I absolutely LOVED the Czech Republic. I don't think I can explain it...but I will try. See, everyone told me I was going to love Prague, and I tried to take that with a grain of salt. Usually, when everyone tells me I am going to love something, I don't. Maybe I just don't like the idea of jumping on the bandwagon or doing what people expect, and it has turned into a psychological problem...but, when I tell myself that I am going to love something- I usually do. Again, it could be that I psychologically fool myself into loving it...or maybe I just know myself really well. Sorry if this is all really confusing. Basically, everyone told me I was going to love Prague...and because of that I wasn't in a huge rush to visit the Czech Republic's capital city. I mean, I knew I HAD to, just to see it. And, you can't go to the Czech Republic and not see Prague, right? But, regardless of what other people told me about loving the city, I knew I would love the country on the whole. And I DID
My wonderful friend Martina was really upset when my other attempt to visit her country failed miserably...so she invited me to stay with her family for a week! After sorting out timing and flights, I was on my way! Her family lives in the Northern region in a little lake town called Stare Splavy. I LOVED her family even though we couldn't understand each other AT ALL. But that made it kind of funny and awkward and, on the whole, wonderfully pleasant. Martina's grandmother was really excited about me coming and wanted to cook me a traditional Czech meal (rabbit, pork, dumplings, red cabbage & white cabbage). And it was topped off by a celebratory "welcome drink" - champagne, a glass of beer (her grandfather insisted the I had to have beer with this meal), and then a shot of plum brandy with her grandparents. They tried to get me to have another shot (for my other leg- apparently you have to have two or you will be "unbalanced"), but I was already feeling my American's-don't-know-how-to-drink-ness, so I politely declined the offer.

The week included a trip to Prague, visiting some friends from Pine Forest Camp where I worked last summer in Hradec Kralove, hiking up to Bez Dez castle, laying out at the lake near her house, going to see Harry Potter in Mlada Boleslav, touring Cesky Krumlov with Martina's mom and friend (and drinking Champagne with them from a gas station on the car ride home- don't worry, Martina was driving), and practicing how to drive a stick shift in an abandoned air field near Martina's house. So, yeah, it was GREAT. Martina and I were both so sad to leave. We kept joking that we were probably two of the saddest people who have flew into Geneva. Vacations are lovely things, aren't they? Maybe I should move to Europe just so I can have the 5 weeks off, it's fabulous! Of course, I am going to be a teacher- so I thinking I will have plenty of time.

There was a lot more to my trip- but I think writing it all out is more trouble than it's worth. You can always just stalk my pictures on facebook.

If I were to make any suggestions about visiting the Czech Republic, I would say: have someone Czech with you. Seriously, unless you are just going to stay in Prague (which really doesn't count as experiencing the country), it is best to have someone really show you around. I think my favorite place was Hradec Kralove. Maybe because I wasn't expecting anything from it, and it surprised me. It's a beautiful city with parks and two rivers and a gorgeous city center. Also, if you have ever desired to indulge in alcohol- it is ridiculously cheap in the Czech Republic. One night I got a pint of beer AND a cocktail for less than 5$. That doesn't exist in Geneva.

So that's all about my trip for now- biggest news is that my parents are coming to Europe and I am going to MEET THEM IN ROME! I love Italy, and I love my parents, so I am really excited. Then my sister is coming with her bf and we are all going to tour the Loire valley together. Hopefully I will be able to impress Melissa and Daniel with my French :).

I feel bad now giving my family just one small paragraph- but I getting sick of writing. So I will have to do them blog justice when they actually come.

Have a wonderful day!

Living without Limitations

It's the Fourth of July!!! Happy Independence Day Americans! I wish I was in Hilton Head, South Carolina right now. I love that place. I love fireworks and summer dresses and sparklers and watermelon and cakes with blueberries and strawberries on them to make them look like American flags. I wish I was home for the fourth of July, but I guess it wouldn't make any difference, because I am sick today. I could probably stand about 1 hour of festivities and then have to go find a quiet spot to cuddle up. I hate being sick so much. But the one great thing about it, is it makes me thankful for the days I am not sick (which is most of the year). I was thinking about that when I was hiking last weekend. I was doing the "hard" hike (mainly because it cost more money to ride up the cable car to get to the easier climb), and I just kept thinking to myself "I am so happy that I have the ability to do this." I am so happy to be healthy and have all of my limbs and be able to run and swim and just live without limitations.

And all that reminds me of something I was thinking about earlier today: why am I here? Let's be honest, the main reason I came here was because I didn't have a reason not to. I kept saying to myself: "Why not move to Switzerland for a year?" I didn't have anything holding me back: no job, no boyfriend, no mortgage. And it seemed obvious to me that the Lord wanted me here. I mean, honestly, how many people get a call in a place where they don't get cell service telling them "they HAVE to be an au pair for an awesome family"? That call was made by the wonderful Amy Lazenby, and if the Lord is using Amy to get you to do something, you know you are going to have to give in eventually, because she won't take no for an answer unless you have an really good reason. And, like I said, I didn't have a good reason. So, here I am. And I have been asking myself: "What am I doing here?"

Margot LOVING bathtime!

I keep feeling like this is just a pause out of my "real" life. That I will go back to Georgia, go back to school, go back to living with my parents, go back to work, go back to my friends, basically go back to the life I had before I left...and that was kind of a depressing thought. I want to change. I want to grow. I didn't move to Switzerland to stay the same person. And more importantly, God didn't send me to another place with completely new people and experiences to not show me something or use me in some way or teach me something.

So, I know that, when all is said and done, when I go back home in December, I will have changed...or I will have done something for the Kingdom. Maybe I won't figure it out until I am sitting in class in Georgia, or maybe I will never know. But I am sure that there is something for me, or something for me to do here. Which is exciting. Also, know that you are wherever you are for a reason.

This weekend I was able to talk to my sister, Rachael Mirabella & Beka Adam on the phone. I was sick...so other than going out and buying myself a blueberry muffin, that is pretty much all that I did. And it was SO worth it. If I hadn't been sitting around the apartment chugging orange choice and wasting tissues, I wouldn't have been able to talk to 3 of the best friends a girl could have. I have come to realize a lot about myself while I have been here. 1- as horrible as this sounds, I am NOT a naturalist. Don't get me wrong, mountains are BEAUTIFUL, and I absolutely appreciate their magnificence. But I don't GET anything out of them, does that make any sense? I feel like I am wasting the fact that I live IN THE ALPS, especially when I hear other people talk about mountains. If this probably sounds like blasphemy to some of you, I apologize.

2- I am totally a homebody. When I was talking to Beka yesterday she was like "duh, Kelly, I could have told you that." I guess I always thought I was more independent or something, but talking to people who know me so well, how know me deeply, I get more out of that than out of any mountain range. I like digging in roots, being around the same people, really being known and knowing others. I like people knowing my secrets and wanting to know more. I'm not good at the surface, "get to know you" stuff (I am not that good of a conversationalist). As exciting and fun I find moving to a new, beautiful foreign country, it doesn't touch the joy I get out of the relationships I left behind. And making relationships like those takes time...which no one seems to have in Geneva. Thankfully, I have been blessed with friendships here, but I still learned that friends like I have in Georgia are few and far between, and I am SOO thankful for them.

If you are at work reading this: shame on you, get back to work. (Haha Yen)

Have a fabulous day!!