So, took another break there from the blogs for a while. I'm a bit bad at keeping up with these. IT's been about three week again since I wrote, so I'll try to sum it up in good detail. The week following my first rotary conference was pretty good. Nothing very big happened, but I was spending more time with my friends and going out more during the week. On Wednesday, the 27th, Lourdes, Duca, and I went to Žilina to go to the immigration police for our residency permits. Afterwards we were able to go to the mall and shop, which was nice because finally I was ale to buy clothes that I really liked. That week I also bought a nice new camera so I can take pictures that will capture the beauty of Slovakia, rather than just my phone. I received that camera and quickly started taking many photos. I went through the city with my friend Martina and took pictures of the mountains, the buildings, and some statues. On the Friday of the 6th, I went out with friends and it was very fun. Most of the following week again was not very substantial, but on Wednesday, the day before my birthday, my friends really surprised me. Some prior explanation, and I will further explain this later, but Thursday my class was going to Auschwitz (Thursday being my birthday), henceforth we could not celebrate my birthday then. So on one of the breaks during school, my friends Nika and Martina (x2) brought for me a cake and a muffin, singing happy birthday to me. It was so surprising that I almost cried from happiness. Then, my teacher came to me and gave me a gift, and (more backstory to put in here, I lost one of my favorite sweaters in the high tatras, in Teryho Chata, 2015m up. It was upsetting and I thought I lost it forever) everyone was looking to me and I opened the gift, and it was the sweatshirt I had lost! I literally became breathless, and I was so happy to see it again. For me Wednesday was such a good day and I felt so welcomed with my classmates. On Thursday, especially the morning, it was quite the opposite. On my actual birthday, I went with my school to Auschwitz. Yes, the concentration camp (I have literally gotten the "Auschwitz? The concentration camp?" question about 3-4 times). It was so deeply moving, but so upsetting to me. I felt mentally and physically sick, seeing what those people went through, actually seeing their belongings, it was horrible. Learning about it in school through books and movies is nothing in comparison to the real thing. And I'll still never really understand it. But, moving on past the sad things, after that we went to Krakow. Which is an extremely, extremely beautiful city. Except for how crowded it was... that was a bit frustrating, not gonna lie. But I got a lot of good pictures with and without friends, and it was relatively enjoyable with them. And now to this past weekend, which I spent in the High Tatras with my family. We stayed in a really beautiful hotel called Grand Hotel Prague (4 stars). On Saturday, we went to Zelenom Pleso, and that hike to and from was about 23-24 kilometers (about 16-17 miles, for the other Americans who still do not understand those conversions). After this hike everyone was extremely exhausted, and we spent the evening in the spa. I went to a Finish Sauna, which is about 212 degrees Fahrenheit. It hurt to breathe. I've also never sweat so much in my life. Then, I had a nice massage, and beware, anyone getting a massage in Slovakia (if you're from the US) they massage your butt a lot. I was surprised and a bit uncomfortable. But it was still pretty great to get a back massage again. Then, today (Sunday the 15th) my family and I went to Strbske Pleso. It was really beautiful and I enjoyed seeing the mountains. On the way back home we stopped at a restaurant and I had trout, and now it was not already fileted, it was an entire fish. But MY GOD it was so good. And for only 6 Euros. I could eat that every day for the rest of my year here. So, this has been the past few weeks for me. Hopefully my next update won't be so late. Thanks for reading!! :-)
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About Me:I am a 17 year old girl who has always dreamed about traveling and seeing the world. I love culture and language, and the ability to gain knowledge in both of those fields whilst improving myself was something I could not pass up. I am so proud to be a Rotary Exchange Student. Archives
October 2017
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