i'm here!

it's early morning here in kosice, and i am surprised i'm not able to sleep considering the LONG trip it took me to get here.

on monday morning, i woke up at 6:00 a.m and hurried to pack up and leave for the minneapolis airport. along the way, i had a really nice breakfast with eva... as well as yet another really hard goodbye. once we made it to the airport, it hit me that i was actually leaving (good timing, right?). so after checking in, my parents left with the wilson-family-classic "band-aid" goodbye. in other words, they said a very quick goodbye and dashed out of the airport. i stood in security balling like a fool. my first flight was to chicago. there, i had to re-check in with LOT Airlines, a Polish airline. i was so entertained standing in line. there was a group of polish exchange students who had just been in texas, and had the hats and boots to prove it. also, there was a beautiful white dog whose owners were constantly cleaning his face. not to mention, of course, suddenly being thrown into a group of central europeans... i knew my adventure had begun.

my flight left chicago at 5:30. the flight was about ten hours, and thanks to a few sleeping pills i was able to sleep a little... but not enough to satisfy the effects of the pills. when we landed in warsaw, i was sore, stiff and TIRED. but i knew i couldn't sleep yet, because i had to catch another flight to bratislava. when i arrived in bratislava (at a surprisingly small airport), i was picked up by a famous slovakian singer! she is the daughter of the woman who i work with, and she was able to pick me up and drive me to the train station. she helped me get a ticket, carry my ridiculously heavy bags, and rush onto the train which was departing in ten minutes. she was really helpful and really nice.

once i made it onto the train, i had to sit for yet ANOTHER six hours. i got on the train at 2:00 slovakian time, which translates to 7:00 a.m. tuesday morning... marking a full 24 hours of travel. the train ride, however, was gorgeous. there were mountains and rivers and cute villages and lakes... simply beautiful. by the time i arrived in kosice, i'd been traveling for 30 hours. nela, the woman who i work with, picked me up and took me to my apartment which is in the historical center of kosice. i was met by my landlords and their two kids, and was greeted by food and wine... which all tasted wonderful after such a long day. then we went up to my apartment to drop off my bags. i am SO pleased with this apartment. it is recently renovated, it has everything i need, and it has an amazing view. i love it. after seeing the apartment, nela and i went down to have tea at a tea shop in my building, and we discussed the details of my placement. i'm actually really confused about what i'm going to be doing, but i'm sure it will sort itself out in the next few weeks.

whew, i think that's it. i'm having a difficult time writing, which i think is an indication my brain hasn't had enough rest. i apologize if that was all incoherent in any way.

i will write more later... but i hope this suffices as a quick update for now.

anna

the final countdown

i'm leaving! soon!

right now i am home in worthington, cozy in my bed, thinking about how quickly the summer has gone by. too quickly... i'm not ready to leave! summertime was great. i nanny-ed for two wonderful kids, explored new parts of the cities, watched the twins for the first time in my life, bet on horses at canterbury, and enjoyed the company of many friends and, of course, my family. everything about it has been so good. it is hard to believe that in a week i will be leaving the state and home i love so much, my dear minnesota.

last week was my last week in the cities. i said goodbye to jack and kate, my hair, and people who i love. needless to say, it was rough. i'm dehydrated from so much crying and achey from all of the painful goodbyes. for some reason this new adventure carries a heavier weight than my previous ones. rather than being excited for the new places i'll see and the new people i'll meet, i'm feeling apprehensive and nervous.

if you're reading this and don't know what i'm doing, or if you're simply hazy on the details, i'll explain all that i know (which isn't much). i received a fulbright scholarship as an english teaching assistant to slovakia. while there, i also intend to continue research that i did with dr. marion larson at bethel on interreligious/interfaith dialogues. specifically, i will be in kosice, slovakia (eastern slovakia) and i will be teaching three lessons a day with 16, 17 and 18 year old students, helping them with conversational english and helping them to prepare for state administered english exams. at this point i'm not entirely certain where i'll be living, but i know that i will be living somewhere in a one bedroomed apartment. and, since it is a scholarship, i will be getting paid... but only enough to cover living and traveling expenses. i leave on september 6, and i arrive on september 7. the official end date of my grant is june 31, though i'm not sure of my return date at this point.

this week leading to D-day, i'm in worthington packing, relaxing, eating and helping my friend erica prepare for her wedding on saturday. i am really excited to help her prepare, primarily because i am so completely happy for her and her husband-to-be, tim. every bone in my body is simply thrilled. and i love the excuse to forget about monday.

although this new adventure is more nerve-wrecking and heavier than previous trips, i feel so blessed by the support that so many of my friends and family have shown me. moreover, i would be blind not to admit that this is a phenomenal opportunity and will likely be an unforgettable experience. i am excited for new challenges, and for the chance to stretch and grow in ways that i couldn't staying here.

until next week,

anna

on the move

yesterday, eva officially moved out of our house. andrea moved out about a week ago. i'm still here, and will be until wednesday, along with empty rooms, boxes, and leftover furniture. it's depressing. however, after wednesday i will be living in an apartment with my friend, kristie, which is much closer to the house where i nanny. instead of driving 35 miles every morning, i will only be driving 8.5. this is quite exciting. but i am bummed that i won't be living with eva, and that i'll be far from the area which i've called home for the last four years.

and that's all the (non)excitement in my life. stay tuned...

a

summer blues

to the infinite void,

i'm restarting my blog. mostly in preparation for my upcoming venture to slovakia, but also (admittedly) because i'm bored. as much as i love the goodness that summer brings, i'm embarrassed to admit that i don't know how to fill all of this free time. why not blog? there are many reasons, all of which i'm currently deciding to ignore.

so, welcome to my summer blog.

i may not have anything interesting to write now, but i'm hoping to hook readers before i leave for an eternity to slovakia (details to come!). my summer will consist of watching two of the best behaved kids that i know in a beautiful home on lake minnetonka. they have a friendly dog named duke, whom i already am falling in love with. all of this, and they're paying me. in a couple of short weeks eva, andrea and i will be moving out of our home for the past two years to an apartment near theodore wirth park. since it's only a two bedroom and i'm leaving come september, i'm left with a mattress on the floor. c'est la vie. i'll enjoy it in effort to savor my time in our beloved minnesota.

with my love,

a

food, food, food!

hello friends and family,

our stay in lisbon was warm, beautiful, adventurous and sunny. the streets were all tiled with black and white mosaics, the buildings were painted in happy pinks and yellows, and i've never seen trees so vibrantly green. being next to a oceanic river was just what i needed to mellow out my frazzled mind. i think that portugal is a hidden gem. if you ever need a shoestring vacation, it is the perfect destination.

after lisbon, we finally returned to england! we'd left early in october, and by the end of our free travel i was eager to return. we arrived back in london where we stayed for about a week. the celtic hotel felt like home, with warm and full breakfasts every morning.... oh, the porridge! the bacon! the eggs! also, it was a great chance to see the all the sites i missed the first time, as well as re-encounter all of the sites i'd already enjoyed. without boring you to death, i will hit on three highlights: 1) the British Library! there are amazing texts, and we even heard a reading of beowulf (maybe not my favorite, but an experience nonetheless), 2) running in hyde park. there really is nothing better than a good run with good people in a beautiful and famous park, 3) my friend, alex, who i met in moldova last summer was there. it was great to see him and to spend time with someone outside of the group!

after an absolutely wonderful time in london, we left to go to turnbridge wells via Penshurst, a gorgeous estate of british nobility (such as sir philip sidney). england is in full autumn weather and it is pictaresque. the grass is still green, but the trees have turned into luscious shades of yellow, orange, and red. moreover, england is so hilly that there are good views nearly everywhere you go. and the best part of it all-- its not even that cold! it feels like minnesota's late september, when all you really need is a cute fall jacket and flannel scarf. ahhhh, i love it.

now we are in turnbridge wells at a conference center called salomon's. this place is a really old home that belonged to a very wealthy scientist about a century ago (i think?). while here i've done things-- such as class, seeing a community theater production, going running-- but mostly i've eaten. a lot. and i've slept. a lot. breakfast is full of bacon, grapefruit, cereal, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, yogurt, and all greasy goodness. lunch has huge jacket potatoes flowing with cheese, bacon and butter, and topped off with candy bars(!!) and dinner is a full course meal-- massive portions of everything: meat, potatoes, vegetables, bread, chocolate cake, chocolate cake, chocolate cake! and to top it all off, every afternoon after lunch we are free to do whatever we'd like. and though (like i mentioned earlier) i have done things, i can't do anything without a deep 2 hour nap first. am i really in school? shouldn't i be stressed? shouldn't i be panicked? where is the anxiety!? for the first time since childhood, i think i might actually be completely and totally relaxed, content, and full.

though i've enjoyed this week of slothfulness and gluttony, i think my expanding waist and i am ready to move on and get back to work. tomorrow we are leaving to go to canterbury, but not before we stop at ashwood forest, famous for its connections to winnie the poo. yes, winnie the poo. yikes, i bet some of you are questioning the rigor of my coursework...

on that note, i'm off. i apologize that my blogs haven't been very cohesive, consistent, or the least bit intelligent. i am saving all of the intelligent things i've learned for when you take me out to coffee when i return... ;) in all honesty, i miss you all very much and i can't wait for january when i'm home and able to truly connect with you.

wishing you well,

anna x

forgive me readers, for its been one month since my last confession...

first and foremost: i am so sorry that i cannot keep a blog up to date!
secondly: this will be a short blog as a) the task of recounting my last month is daunting, to say the least and b) i only have 20 minutes left at the internet cafe.

ok. after london we went to cambridge. oh my word. i want to go there. it was beautiful, and it seemed like everything one expects university to be.

after cambridge we went to dublin. dublin wasn´t my favorite city, but it had a unique charm. it was a bit rough, but the people were so brilliantly friendly. we met interesting people and had interesting conversations about ireland, its people, and its literature. it was great to speak to real dubliners.

then we went to sligo, where w.b. yeats begins his fame. we stayed in small cabins on the ocean. it was rough. not because it wasn´t beautiful but because i couldnºt enjoy it. why? i went jogging through an incredibly uneven cowfield in cambridge and sprained BOTH of my ankles. i spent my time in sligo with my feet propped (i had ignored the injury in dublin, and i paid severe consequence for it), and writing papers. but it was still beautiful.

then, after touring giant´s causeway and making a quick stop at derry, we arrived in derry where we were so, so warmly greeted by fisherwick presbyterian church. i stayed with the assistant minister, kathryn, and her husband, john. they were so hospitable, interesting, fun and really enjoyable. kathryn showed us around belfast, giving us a history of the city and the troubles. i wish i had more time, because it was so interesting... if you want to hear about it, let´s do coffee in january!

after belfast we went to bayeux, france. bayeux was LOVELY, except that two girls had their credit cards and money stolen, and one of which had her passport stolen. ouch. while in bayeux we saw normandy beaches... which was quite an experience.

after bayeux we went to paris, the city of love. the city i loved. it was beautiful. it was romantic. it was everything i hoped for. although sometimes the people were a bit mean, the louvre, the eiffel tower, the men playing accordians... all of the stereotypes were fulfilled. and the crepes were DELICIOUS! ohhhhhh, paris. unfortunately, dr. ritchie and his wife left, and we will miss them so much. they are wonderful leaders, teachers, and friends. when we arrive back in london, the bruces will be there to finish off our studying.

today, we left paris and arrived in lisbon! it is our free travel time, so all of the arrangements were made (and executed!) by me. it was a challenge. after arriving in lisbon, we took a taxi to our hotel. unfortunately, the taxi took us to the wrong hotel. the manager of the wrong hotel, then, walked us five minutes to the right hotel (so kind!). unfortunately, this was again the wrong hotel. so, that manager pointed us to the right one (a mere 30 feet away). when i walked into the doors of the hotel, there was only an empty landing and a dark staircase. i slowly walked up the quiet stairs in search of somebody to help me... i rang the bell on the third floor labeled "reception," and a kind, old, portugese man opened the door and said "ahh, you must be anna wilson." he then showed me our room, explaining everything in slow, careful english. he kept apologizing, "i am sorry anna, my english is a pity." after getting settled, i asked him where the nearest internet cafe was, and then he walked me out of the hotel, around the corner, down the street, to a nice internet cafe. after introducing me to the owner he said, "there you are, anna. if you have any problems, he will take care of you."

so far, i love lisbon.

i wish i could expand on every experience that i am having. it is truly amazing to be able to travel and learn and experience all that i am. i feel so grateful for the opportunity. however, the longer i am away the more i miss home and the more i miss those that i love. i wish that you could be here to enjoy everything with me, because i think that would make everything truly wonderful. or at least i wish i could communicate with everyone as much as i´d like to, but the reality is that internet is very difficult to come by on a regular basis. but cést la vie. soon enough i´ll be home and missing europe.

time is almost out. please shoot me an email.



anna x

hawarden, snowdon, london...

greetings from across the pond...

sorry to use such a horrible cliche. i just had to.

i am writing this from an internet cafe in london, and i feel as if i can sit back, breathe, think and attempt to write a cohesive blog--- without feeling paranoid that i'm taking advantage of someone else's computer. so here i go, attempting to capture the beauty of the last couple of weeks in one solitary blog. wish me luck.

our last stop was hawarden, wales (pronounced 'harden'). there we stayed at a residential library called st. deiniol's. on one end there was a beautiful, hogwarts-worthy library; on the other, very comfortable bedrooms, as well as study lounges and delicious 3 meals/day. it was any literature student's dream. although we were stuck in a library all week (writing papers. ugh.), we did get out twice to do very fun things. the first, we climbed the highest peak in wales: mt. snowdon. mt. snowdon was made famous by william wordsworth (book XIV of 'The Prelude.'), and it made for a wonderful hike. the first hour of the ascent was quite easy, but the second and third hours grew increasingly difficult. i felt downright idiotic because i started the hike running up hills, bouncing around, amped and cheering everyone on; however, by the third hour, i was making my climbing buddies (dr. ritchie and katy) stop with me every five minutes so i could rest. part of the reason for my exhaustion was that i was insufficiently dressed for the occasion, wearing mediocre shoes, lounging pants, a t-shirt and a light rain jacket while we were climbing in blasting wind, iced rain, and low temperatures. i like to think that i really wasn't that tired, it was just the hypochondriac in me freaking out that i couldn't feel (or really move) any part of my numbed body. in any case, we made it to the top! although i was hoping to see a beautiful 'blue chasm' and the surrounding mountains, valleys, rivers, seas.... all i saw was white. we were stuck in a cloud. nonetheless, it was an adventure that i would repeat at the drop of a hat.

our second escape from the haunted st. deiniol's (yes, haunted) was to bodnant gardens. bodnant gardens was hands-down the most beautiful garden i have ever seen (except for jean wilson's, of course.) it was 90 acres of lush plants, ponds, an old beautiful home, waterfalls, arches, red flowers, white flowers, pink flowers, blue flowers, yellow flowers, mulit colored flowers, so many beautiful flowers i can't name, trees, vines, fountains, secret passages, fawns, fairies, sprites.... ok, you get the picture. it was gorgeous. and worthy of a praise-giving paragraph. so there it was.

after st. deiniols we left for york. on the way we stopped at the bronte home... which was a nice diversion. if you like the bronte sisters at all, write me and i can tell you more. it was fascinating.

when we got to york, we quickly ran to the york shire cathedral for a tour. it was an extremely nice cathedral... very beautiful. unfortunately our (probably very kind) tour guide, howard, was extremely boring. but afterwards we were free to roam in york. it was a nice city, here are two highlights. 1) it was founded by vikings a long time ago. there is a museum there about vikings that, fortunately for all of its eager visitors, also smells a lot like vikings. intentionally, at that. 2) york is the most haunted city in the world (or so i read in 'national geographic.') i couldn't sleep because of howling winds, creaking door noises, meaningless fire alarms, and the constant threat of seeing a ghost. my heart raced the whole night.

and that brings us to my current location: london. i am quickly falling in love with this city. it is busy, exciting, pleasant, edgy, thriving, fashionable and FUN. today we did a very tourist tour of london on an open-topped, two tiered bus. it was cheezy, but it was exciting to experience the essence of london that we see so often in films, tv, etc.

alright. i think that is good for now. as always, miss you- love you- and wish you were here.



anna x