My amazing moments backpacking!!

I have found some time to collect my thoughts. I have now arrived in Switzerland and taking some time to relax.

My last two weeks backpacking has been amazing and unforgettable. I wouldn’t trade a single moment for anything in the world. Every day has been different. Every day has led me to something unexpected. And I think I have learned something in life or about myself every day as well.
It was my intention to blog about every place either while I was there or right after I left, but time doesn’t work like that when you are backpacking. You are constantly thrown into new situations, new countries, new currencies, and new languages. The journal of course holds it all. But I would love to share the highlights with you.

Ireland – I almost didn’t make it to Ireland because of the volcano, but I got lucky. Once I got there I saw my friend Sara for one night. It’s always nice when your travels overlap with a friend’s. I traveled Ireland with my friend Woj (Mike). We spent a night in Dublin, and then went to Galway for the majority of the trip. Dublin is a city, not much countryside to it. We enjoyed it, but Galway was awesome. There were pubs with Irish music everywhere. The people were incredibly friendly, I felt instantly at home. We went out to the countryside and took a tour to go see the Cliffs of Moher. It was such a beautiful place! Breathtaking. The photos, when posted, won’t do it justice. And though the Irish do speak English, there were multiple occasions when I didn’t understand a word. But the people definitely make Ireland a great place. Walking the streets of Galway and Dublin and hearing the Irish music was like I was in a movie. We both had a great time there.

Krakow – Jumping from Ireland to Poland in one day is quite the change. Krakow was one of my most anticipated cities. My days there are some I know I will not forget. On my first day, I stumbled upon a free walking tour and joined in. Soon, I recognized someone in the group – a girl who was in my program in Rome. Once she, Jacque, saw me, she was just as surprised. We went on both of the free tours that day together and ended up getting some food with our tour guides afterwards. They were the nicest Polish guys ever. It was very cool to spend time with locals, especially ones that spoke English so well. The outcome of the day was totally unexpected, but so delightful.

Poland was flooded when I arrived there. Actually it was going down a bit, but there had been a ton of rain in Krakow, the water level on the river was extremely high. They haven’t had that amount of rain in 13 years. Well with that being said, it created a few problems. The day I arrived in Krakow Auschwitz, the concentration camp, was closed. Auschwitz was one of the main reasons I went to Krakow in the first place and I was very worried I was going to be unable to go. The camp had been flooded as well and the roads to the camp were also flooded. However, Friday, the camps were open, so I decided to try and go. Once I got to the bus station, I saw all the buses going to Auschwitz had been cancelled. Standing in the tourist information line with me were two women, a mother and a daughter from Liverpool and another woman from Turkey. They were all trying to get to Auschwitz and we all made the same decision, which was to hop on the next train, which left in nine minutes. Luckily the bus station and the train station are right next door to each other.

I sat next to these women on the train to Auschwitz and ended up spending the whole day with them.They were Tracey, daughter from Liverpool, Carol, mother, and Handan from Turkey.(I think it may have been more fitting to take the train to Auschwitz anyway.)

The following few paragraphs are all going to be about Auschwitz. Some of the things I will mention may be hard to read. Just a forewarning if you want to skip ahead. Look for the title Vienna.

I’ve never been more interested in any subject more than the Holocaust. Obviously it interests a lot of people, but the opportunity to go to Auschwitz was one that I feel very lucky to have had. It’s very important to me. I had tried to mentally prepare myself for the camps, though I know it’s rather impossible to do that. Once we arrived, me and my three new friends, or possibly my moms for the day, started our tour. Just seeing the camp was an overwhelming experience. It was pouring outside as well, which made the day drearier.

I saw two camps, Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau. They were both used as death camps, but Auschwitz II Birkenau was the largest concentration camp during the Holocaust and the main death camp. We saw the buildings, the barracks, the bathrooms, and the crematoriums. We saw the death wall where they would shoot prisoners. Just seeing the barbed wire electric fences was enough to make me sick to my stomach.

There were things I saw there that I don’t even know if I should write about, but I will. There were a series of rooms we went in on the tour that are the most vivid in my memory. When the Jews, Gypsies (basically everyone not of the Arian race) would arrive at these camps all of their belongings would be taken from them. Everything. We saw many of these things. Behind glass cases down long hallways we saw thousands of pairs of shoes. We saw thousands of toothbrushes and hairbrushes, pots, pans, and we saw all of the suitcases they originally brought their items in. This one in particular was hard for me to look at. Written on all of the outsides of the suitcases were the people’s names, how old they were and where they were from. It was so sad to look at it. Knowing they had traveled so far in those horrible train cars, to either be put into a camp or immediately killed.

But the one that made me the most sick to my stomach and just cry was when we walked into a room where it was filled with human hair. The Nazis would shave the heads of the prisoners and then keep the hair to stuff in mattresses. There was over 50,000 heads of hair in that room. It was so overwhelming I don’t even know how to describe it.

Auschwitz II Birkenau was even more depressing. Auschwitz I is by no means nice. But there are a bunch of buildings built together so it’s like a little village. Not a nice village, but the buildings itself aren’t the scariest thing you’ve seen in your life. Birkenau on the other hand might be. The camp is massive. I can’t describe how big or empty it felt. We saw the main train track where the people would get dumped off, divided into men and women and then divided into the people who would stay and the people who were going straight to the gas chambers. We walked down the road they would have walked to the gas chambers. The actual crematoriums had been burned down, the Nazis tried to destroy them to hide the evidence when the Allies arrived. There’s nothing too much more I can say other than it was extremely eerie and very real. But I still consider myself so fortunate to have had the opportunity to see it in person. It’s something I never want to forget; I doubt I will.

The next day in Krakow I went to the Salt Mines. That was also really cool. They have a whole church made out of salt. The ceilings, alter, chandeliers, and a reproduction of DaVinci’s “Last Supper” all out of salt.

Vienna – Took the overnight train to Vienna from Krakow. I was nervous about this, but I got a couchette, which is a private compartment and it was very nice. I shared it with this other older German woman. She didn’t speak any English and I don’t speak German so it was a quiet ride, but she was extremely nice. It was interesting to see how we communicated with just body language and smiles.

I got to Vienna really early at about 6:30 a.m. Though I wasn’t expecting it, my friend Diego was waiting for me at the train station. It was so nice to see him. I haven’t seen him in a year and a half. He lives in Vienna full time and is going to the university there. And is practically fluent in German, I was so impressed! After sleeping, he showed me the city. Over the next three days I saw a lot, went to some of the museums, saw Mozart’s apartment and Freud’s office. I even got to the Opera for three euro! It was a great few days. I really enjoyed my time there because I got to do stuff on my own, but then got to hang out with Diego as well. It’s always cool to see a city with a local. Vienna is so charming though and absolutely beautiful. It’s definitely one of my favorite cities in all of Europe. I really loved it there.

Berlin – Berlin is huge! I’m sure it’s just as big as Rome or Paris or London, but Berlin felt so massive to me. My hostel in Berlin was really nice and in a very central part of town. After visiting Krakow and Berlin I definitely got my fill on WWII. It’s so great to see history up close like that though; in the places that it all actually happened in. I went on another free tour and got to see a ton of iconic places. Seeing the Berlin Wall was awesome. I got to touch history; that happened while I was alive.

I ended up meeting these two really nice girls who were staying in my hostel, Sandy and Jenny. I went to dinner with them on my second night and went to a few museums because they were free. Then the next day, I ran into them, and we went to the Wall and then went on a tour of a bunker. It was so cool! Unfortunately we weren’t allowed to take photos, but it was very cool. We went to the Jewish museum as well together. It was really nice actually doing multiple things with other girl travelers my age. They were very cool. It once again proved to me that you never know where the day will take you, what you will do, or who you will meet. But I had a great time with them in Berlin.

Now it’s Switzerland. I’m sitting in Scotti’s apartment as I write this all down. Home in one week – oh it’s strange how the time passes. I’m going to go in to France soon. But I’m very content to be here, relaxing. Geneva is very cool from what I have seen so far. They speak French here, so thankful it’s a language I can communicate in. German and Polish were fun, but difficult. I’m very much looking forward to spending good quality time with Scotti as well. Then it’s back to Rome to see a few more friends and of course to see my number one city. I’ve missed it. I need my gelato fix. I’m going to have to find some good gelato places in KC.

The life of a backpacker is quite thrililng though, very tiring, but I can't express how much I am loving this experience. I feel more alive in ways I never thought possible. Every thing I do I feel like it's something else I've accomplished. There is a thrill to only having your backpack, moving from one place to the other and relying on you and your map. Best thing I ever did? Yes.

Reenergized in Tuscany

The internet in Tuscany isn’t entirely reliable, but I am in the middle of a valley, so it’s amazing Wi-Fi is even present.

I’ve been staying in Pienza this past week. It has truly been amazing. We still have the rest of the day and tomorrow, but it is quickly coming to an end and I am sad. But there is still so much to look forward to.

The last two weeks have been full of exploring, eating, and great conversation. The trip started in Venice. As I mentioned in my last post, Venice was very difficult to navigate. Part of that was also because I was so sleep deprived and missing my friends, those curvy streets felt much more overwhelming. Venice really is great, a totally different experience of Italy.

My parents arriving, was the best. Seeing them come out of the airport and being with them in person, was so special. It felt surreal for a moment, but once that wore off, it was so nice to be able to catch up in person. My Italian skills have also been helpful to us and I'm surprised by myself, I'm better than I thought I was. I guess when you are put in situations when you need to speak it, I can do it. It's a great feeling.

After Venice, we went to Cinque Terre. It was beautiful and wonderful. However, it rained almost the entire time we were there. I don’t mean it rained, I mean poured. So that was a downer, but it created much family time in a lot of cafes and restaurants, playing cards, and talking.

I got to go to Florence again and Dad saw The David for the first time. It was just as amazing the second time as it was the first. I have no doubt that it is one of the greatest works of art in the world. I will never get tired of seeing it.

We were so lucky because Scotti (our family friend) came down for the weekend from Switzerland. It was so nice to see her and catch up. She and Julie have been friends for 16 years. It also made me even more excited for my trip to Switzerland, as I will be staying with her. It will make my trip that much better!

In Pienza we are staying at the Agriturismo Cretaiole. Go look it up. www.cretaiole.it. And you will see how amazing of a place we are staying in. Not only is it a gorgeous location but the activities we have been doing all week are incredible.  They have ranged from hikes, cooking classes, a watercolor class, wine tastings, and olive oil tastings. Not to mention that the other people staying here are so cool! They are mainly all couples, from the United States, Australia, and Japan. I’ve had such a delightful time getting to know all of them. It's one of those situations where I feel, these people were supposed to meet each other on this weekend, for a reason.

It’s funny how quickly you become attached to experiences. I haven’t even been here a week yet and I’m sad to say goodbye to this place and these people. But it makes you appreciate the present moment more.

We have a really cute, nice apartment and I have my own bedroom, which I haven’t had since January; it's so nice. I’m enjoying it now, because for the next three weeks I will have many roommates in all of my hostels.

Dad and Julie have had a wonderful time, as have I. We have a few more wonderful days together and then they are going back home. And I will go on Part III of the adventure, the big trip!

It’s still strange to think the semester in Rome is over. I know I have greatly been changed by that experience, however I also already feel another change from this one. And I have a feeling that the next phase may be the most life changing for me.

I’m nervous and excited. I can’t predict what’s going to happen. Apparently neither can the volcano (hopefully it won’t bother my travel.) But I’ve realized you never know where travel will take you and you don’t know how it will change yo, but that's the best part about it. I'm so thrilled I've had all of these opportunities.

People told me that I would come back feeling like a different person and I had no idea what they meant. Since I haven’t returned yet, I’m still not quite sure, but I’m suspecting that it will feel different. In a good way; for the better.

Overall, this time in Tuscany has been reenergizing, in more ways than one. It’s been a good place to gain perspective on my life and the world around me. I guess I had to get to the countryside to maybe see the big picture clearer. But it's all coming into focus now. I like to think I’ve learned some life philosophies while being here – a lot from the other people present actually.

Part II: A new view from Venice

Well, I'm in a weird place. I don't mean physically, but emotionally. I've been using the past tense about my semester abroad, I never fully realized that would happen. I was so used to talking about it in the future or in the present, but not in the past.

My last night in Rome to say the least was incredibly memorable. Out with the majority of my friends one last night. I miss all of you so much already! Saying goodbye was one of the worst things in the world and now they are in the States. But we went all around the city and saw all of our favorite things. Rome really has become my home and I already miss it so much as well.

Venice is beautiful. Finding my hostel was a mess though. I had the directions, but one street didn't lead to the right street, which lead me asking directions, but those weren't right either. I was so exhausted because of hardly any sleep and lots of crying, so I ended up just taking a water taxi. It was much easier after that.

My hostel is really nice. I'm on the main island and pretty close to everything. However, I could never live or have studied in Venice, it's a mess trying to find your way around. The people in my hostel are really nice though. I went exploring with one girl yesterday from Germany, we had a good time. She spoke perfect English, I was so impressed.

Everyone eats breakfast and dinner together, which is really nice. There has been lots of good conversation and hearing about where everyone is from, where they are going, and how long they have been traveling is so interesting. One guy, who sat across from me at dinner, has been traveling so far for 10 months. He started in London and has been working his way around Europe. He's going to go to Istanbul, then up to Russia, Moscow, then into China, then he is going to Australia and then before heading back up north to Canada, he is going through South America. So he still has another year ahead of him. He's going to be traveling two whole years out of his backpack!! I was so amazed. I can't believe it. He put my 5 months of travel to shame! 

Yesterday, I thought of Adri when I was walking around, because the pigeons here are crazy! I've never been scared of birds before, but these were intense and flying right next to me. Even landing on people. After spending a semester with Adri around a lot of birds I've somehow developed a fear of them too. Not as bad as Adri's though. haha.

My parents get here tomorrow. To say the least I am incredibly excited and anxious to see them. It will be so wonderful to be reunited again and spend lots of good quality time together.

I have my computer with me for now, which is nice. So I will update when I can. Five weeks until I'm home. I feel as those these five weeks, will be the most interesting ever. Full of uncertainty, excitement, anxiousness, loneliness, and happiness. Hopefully more happiness than anything else.

Love,
Katherine

7 weeks and a volcano

Life is always a funny thing when you look back at it. Things that happened last week feel like a year ago, but then memories from years ago feel like yesterday.

I have a film paper to write, but I'm listening to The National and can't help but write.

This volcano has everyone freaking out. People are really worried they won't be able to get home. I'm just worried my parents won't be able to get here. Good news is I still have some time before they are supposed to arrive. Please, everyone, cross your fingers.Volcano calm down!

In the meantime . . . assuming everything works out, I have successfully booked my trips for the summer. I can't wait to start. It was really difficult for me to get to Krakow, not sure why. At one point I was going to book a flight through Oslo or Stockholm to get there. Those places would have been awesome to see for sure. In the end though I had a top hit list of places I really wanted to visit. I decided it was better to not overwhelm myself and stick to a few countries and cities. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It was really important for me to get Krakow, so I made it work.

I start in Dublin, then go to Krakow, then go to Vienna, then to Berlin, then to Geneva and then back to Rome. I'm very excited!

I'm having a love affair with Rome. So I've decided I'm going to make a top 10 list of things I love while being here.
1. Villa Borghese. I can't get enough of this park. Every time I go it just makes me so happy. Granted there are a million couples making out everywhere, but I love being outside, seeing the trees, laying in the grass. It's become a great spot to journal.
2. Walking through the Monte Mario neighborhood. Especially the walk to calcio every Wednesday.
3. Hearing children playing outside. I love hearing them speak Italian. Walking by the schools when they are out at recess is the best.
4. The cobblestones. Lots of people are sick of the cobblestones because they hurt their feet. But I can't get enough of them. I love the sound when my foot hits the pavement and feeling the stones beneath my feet.
5. The Protestant Cemetery. One of my favorite places in Rome for sure. It's oddly very peaceful and beautiful there. Flowers and trees growing everywhere. Plus, a nice place to reflect.
6. Cappuccino's. Who knew I would become such a fan, but I love the taste, but more than that the feel of drinking them.
7. The view outside my bedroom window to a beautiful tree and field. It's lovely to wake up to every morning, feel the sun and hear the birds.
8. Going to the million different gelateria's. Trying new flavors, figuring out how much you will get at each place and rating all of them.
9. Trastevere, my favorite neighborhood in Rome. A maze of pathways, all intertwined and Italian's everywhere. It's the best place to feel lost and yet feel at home.
10. The feeling of going to a new part of Rome, pulling out your map, not sure where you are, then turning the corner and realizing you know exactly where you are. Rome is not as big of a city as people think. It's all connected and I'm convinced you can walk everywhere.

Thinking of all of you, sending a big hug to the States.

Chapter Four: Life between the adventures

Ciao!
I suppose it was inevitable for me to fall behind in the blog. But here is an update from life in Italy thus far. Though I might not be blogging a ton, I am writing in my journal and at the end of the day, I know that is the most important one for me. My journal holds everything from this trip, from all the big events to all of my random thoughts. I've already started rereading some of the entries at the beginning of the semester. So much has already happened, it's hard to believe. But of course I still have to give everyone an update, hence the blog.

The semester is coming to a close. So weird to say. The majority of all of my friends will be returning to the U.S. in just under three weeks. If I wasn't staying I would be going with them. That is even stranger for me to think about. The United States still feels like a different universe for me.

The last few weeks have been full and exciting. I've been to Istanbul, Greece, and Malta, not to mention many wonderful days in Rome. I've been a machine these days when it comes to traveling. Taking international trips has become so normal to me (I know, that's crazy!) but seriously traveling has become my life. I think my perspective of traveling in the United States will be very different once I get back. The idea of picking up for a weekend trip will be no big deal.

So, at this point, it will be easier for me to share about these last few trips in person with all of you. However, I will say a few comments about each of them.

Istanbul: This could very well could be my favorite trip. I think it was the one that impacted me the most. The culture, the people, the food, the city was all so amazing. If I could back to one city that I've been to this semester it would be Istanbul. My favorite thing there was when we were walking around the city and heard the call of prayer on the loud speakers between the mosques. It took place five times a day. It was as if the mosques themselves were chanting to each other. Such a cool experience to see and hear.

Greece: I got my beach fill in Greece. The weather ended up being really hot and it was so nice to lay on the beach and relax. Eating gyros and greek yogurt as well as kayaking in the Mediterranean was unbelievable. The trip had it's good and bad aspects, but overall I really enjoyed myself as did Sara, Marriam and Adri. I'm thrilled I made it to Greece, it was one of the countries at the top of my list.

Malta: I just got back from Malta yesterday. The smallest country in Europe, besides Vatican city. Malta was also a lot of fun. My favorite part was traveling to Gozo, an island right next to Malta and traveling around and taking a boat out through caves in the water and seeing the cliffs. I also went with a whole different group of people to Malta, which was exciting.

My parents will be here in 19 days. I cannot wait for them to get here! It will be so nice to see them in person, catch up, and have some familiarity for awhile. We will be going on quite the Italian adventure. They have it all mapped out. So lately whenever I'm feeling stressed about school I just think about all the stuff we are going to do.

There is still so much I want to do in Rome. I'm determined to get through my to-do-list. I did go to the Vatican Museum a few weeks ago. I really enjoyed it. Especially after studying so many different artists and paintings in my classes, it made it much more special to see them in person, in particular Raphael's "School of Athens."

I'm the type of person that always gets sentimental. Those of you who know me are already very aware of this. I get attached to the most random things and now that the semester is coming to an end, I feel my sentimental side kicking in. The hardest part will be saying goodbye to everyone, especially my friends who don't go to Loyola and who I won't see in the fall.

But, it's not over yet! These next three weeks will be very busy socially and academically. I'm not going anywhere else for now, just focusing on spending time in Rome. Absorb the city to the fullest. :)

Love
Katherine

How I accidentally lost weight in Italy

I should be writing this post about Istanbul. Don't worry I will. It was too amazing to not share it with all of you.

But... this is just too weird to not tell. Somehow since being here I have lost weight.

At first, I thought it was because I had worn the same pair of jeans a million times in a row and they were stretched out. But then the comments from my friends started coming in. "Katherine, you look so skinny!" "Katherine, did you lose weight?" Then when my friend Bridget came and visited and she noticed as well, I figured something was up.

It was also suspicious when I received a pair of jeans from home that hadn't been worn since January that were also looser on me. 

But I mean really, how could I lose weight, in Italy of all places?
I mean on a weekly basis I eat . . . bread, pasta, more bread, more pasta, yogurt, cornflakes in the yogurt, cornettos, peanut butter, more bread, nutella, oranges, more pasta, some salad, corn, more nutella, random pastries, more peanut butter, some pizza, lots and lots of gelato . . . yeah this isn't adding up is it?

Well, finally when three more of my friends commented that they could tell I had lost weight, I finally got on the scale and after making my conversions from kilograms to pounds, the verdict is in. I have lost weight, more than I would have expected. But I really don't get it. I mean yes I do walk a lot here. I hate Mensa (the food at school and don't eat a ton of it) but it's not like I don't eat. Perhaps carrying my big travel backpack had something to do with it? Haha, I have no idea.

I don't say any of this to rub it in people's faces or worry my family. Don't worry I'm still a healthy weight. I just find it so odd. But seriously, go look at some of my photos. You can see my pants falling off of me.

Who knew I would lose weight in Italy... I never thought in a million years.

Tunisia!!

This will probably be the most difficult blog post to write, just because it's so hard for me to put this trip into words. My 10 days were jammed packed. We got up early, no later than 7:30 every day and went all day long.

Around 70 students went on the study trip. It was through Loyola, so it was all taken care of with meals, hotels, transportation etc. As soon as we arrived in Tunis we went to the U.S. Embassy and met with the Ambassador which was really interesting. He gave us some background on where he has worked, all over the Middle East, and some background information on Tunisia as part of the Islamic and Arab world.

While in Tunis, we also got the opportunity to meet with Tunisian students who are studying law. We talked with them about the politics in Tunisia. One of the main conversation points is that Tunisia, as part of the Arab world, is much more progressive than other countries. Women have many more rights and can drive. Oddly enough one of the topics we ended up discussing with the students was abortion. While some of the women had the view point that abortion was not a controversial issue at all in the country, many of the men had more conservative views and were very concerned about it. Hearing these viewpoints and even witnessing the beginnings of heated arguments was interesting and not what I was expecting.

In Tunisia, the official language is Arabic and their second official language is French. It was so fun to use my French again. I was a bit rusty, but as the week passed I remembered more and more. Whenever we would go to one of the medinas (markets) I would use my French to the best of my ability to bargain. Of course it more or less turned into a blend of French, Italian, and English. The markets were incredible though. The first one we went to, was the most overwhelming, but also my favorite. It was a series of very narrow winding streets, with street vendors everywhere. Yelling at you, grabbing at you, saying, "Good price, good price for you. Come look. Come see." And when you decided to go "look and see" you better be serious about it, because if you showed the least bit of interest they would hound you. Tunisia uses the dinar. It was better than the Euro so we did pretty well. I have some of the currency to bring home.

Then there was my hair. I thought that my blonde hair would be a bigger deal in Italy than it is. Obviously no one looks at me and thinks I'm Italian, but I've been mistaken for a fluent Italian speaker multiple times. In Tunisia, I was stared at constantly. Everywhere I went there were a million head turns. The American, tall, blonde, pale girl stood out. I was very easily spotted. I quickly got the name Snow White from many people we encountered.

The other thing that really surprised me, though reflecting on it shouldn't have, was the shocked faces we received when we told people we were from America. Everyone assumed we were from England. A few thought I was Dutch, (which I am) but no one could believe we came all the way from America. The next statement that followed this shocked face was always, "Obama!" Of course we have all heard that Obama is loved internationally, but I don't think anyone really gets it until you see it. They love Obama. People were so much more willing to talk to us once we said we loved Obama too. It's clear to me that America has become more respected now that Obama is in office. I felt very proud to say I was from America and that Obama is our President.

I know many Americans are frustrated with him because they feel he has not done enough since being elected. But if it gives any peace of mind at all, internationally, his presence is such a huge step. Just being able to talk about America and politics with other cultures like this shows that this huge wall is starting to be broken down. I think the American people are starting to be seen differently. This makes me so happy and so eager for the future.

But there were so many other highlights of the trip. Riding camels in the Sahara was awesome! I mean really, I couldn't believe it. Having 70 people all on camels at the same time was also a riot, especially because we had our hair wrapped up and had to wear these robes when we went on the camel ride. My camel was tied to my friend Matt's, which ended up being a little scary, because Matt's camel, Jamie hated me. She was not happy with me when I tried to pet her. She made these very awkward camel noises and I thought she was going to bite me.

We were all forewarned that once we reached the desert, "operation save my camera" went into effect. The Sahara has the finest sand I have ever seen. The individual grains are incredibly small. In past trips our SLA's told us that it has caused multiple pieces of electronics not to work. But I had to have my camera. It is my life since I've been abroad. But I didn't take many photos while on the camel ride, one because I was on a camel and I'm pretty clumsy. Two, when the wind started to pick up it was difficult to see let alone take photos. Sand did get in my camera by the end of the desert, but it's alive and well. I've been able to get the majority of it out and the rest doesn't seem to be hurting it.

After the camels, it was time for the desert. Here's the funny part though. When you think Africa you think warm. Well, one full day while we were there, it poured! And I mean poured! I was drenched head to toe. And our bus decided to leak through the windows as well so even when we were indoors we were wet. So the day we were supposed to go to the desert, it almost got canceled due to the weather. Luckily, the weather cleared up and we went. I would have been heartbroken if we weren't able to go.

We had a campsite in the desert. There were people working there that pitched up the tents, which was a large blanket on the outside, and metal poles that were secured in the sand that held the blanket up. The blankets hung over the sides so the wind wouldn't get to us, but the bottom of the tent was just the sand. We put mats down to sleep though.

As we arrived in the 4-wheel jeeps, we all found a sand dune to sit on, hang out, and watch the sunset. We wrapped our scarves around our heads because the wind very harsh. At some points it was hard to see and my sunglasses became caked with the sand. The best part was when we would close our mouths and I could feel all of the grains of sand in my mouth. When I touched my skin, it was as if there was sand permanetely in me. When dinner came we all went into a small concrete building, sat on the floor and ate. At almost every meal while in Tunisia we had a similar salad to start off with - part of a boiled egg, cold potatoes with parsley, and a chutney carrot like substance, which was really good! We also ate this bread that we saw prepared with coals in the sand, as well as soup with garlic, tomato, and pasta. Delicious! During dinner one boy apparently got stung by a baby scorpion (my worst nightmare) but he was okay.

After dinner, we went out to the huge bone fire and danced and listened to the entertainment of drums and flutes with a belly dancer. When I see things like this I never know how "traditional" it actually is to the culture. Regardless, I enjoyed myself. At one point, with the smell of the fire in the background and listening to the music, I laid back and stared at all of the stars. I knew seeing the stars in the Sahara would be amazing. But it made me want to cry. I saw three shooting stars. The milky way was so clear to see and me and my friends had many debates on where the rest of the constellations were.

It was so peaceful. It was so beautiful. As I was there, looking up, so many thoughts were going through my head. Mainly, "I am in the Sahara desert, spending the night here, seeing the stars, never in my life will I do this again." I also thought about how it was still daytime in America and how I was looking at a completely different sky than the people at home, but how one point it will turn into the same sky and we will see the same things. Then I thought about how all of these stars are always present in the sky, it's just that we can't see them because of all the lights and pollution. The longer I would look and focus on the blackness, the more stars I would see. If I could describe the experience as anything I would say spiritual, because I felt at such peace with the world, with myself, with life.

We ended up singing all kinds of songs by the fire for hours. Everything from TLC, to The Beatles, and Third Eye Blind. As long as we were by the fire it was warm. But we had also been warned that the desert was going to get extremely cold. So when we finally went to our tent to sleep I had on my shirt, fleece, sweatshirt, and another jacket, hoods up, with gloves on, leggings, jeans, sweatpants, and two pairs of socks and my shoes with a scarf wrapped around the majority of my face. In the beginning I was okay. There were 10 of us in the tent, so pretty good body heat. But probably around 3 a.m. it got bad. My body just went numb. The temperature was probably around 15 to 20 degrees. I think I woke up every 30 minutes and I was so happy around 5:30 when the sun started to rise and we got up.

However, in the morning, my friends told me that I kept everyone up with my snoring. Oh god, I was so embarrassed! Whatever noises I was making were not normal and not typical, even from me. They said it sounded like some animal. Of course for the rest of the trip I made everyone tell me exactly what I did in the night to find out if this was some normal behavior, but alas, I guess I just saved that special noise up for the desert. But it will be quite the memory. At least everyone had a good laugh.

Now, being a movie person, this next part of the trip was pretty crazy! We got to go see where part of Star Wars was filmed! Yes, as in the actual sets they built for the movie, which are still up. They are in the middle of nowhere, but it was so awesome to see!

We saw a ton of Roman ruins. I wish I could go into more detail about them here, but at this point I would need to go through the schedule to remember all of them. But they were really cool to see. The best was the amphitheater in El Jem. It was fascinating to learn how the Roman Republic spread to Tunisia and to see the influence leftover from other civilizations.

One of the last days we were there we visited a mosque. After, we went to a store where there were hundreds of handmade rugs. The rugs ranged in prices between $200 to $15,000. The $15,000 rug took four years to make and was made out of pure silk. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! Don't worry Dad and Julie I didn't buy one. But they were magnificent.

The hotels we stayed at were also really nice, for the most part. One night we stayed in a cave, literally. That was a little much. But the other hotels were beautiful. It wasn't warm enough for my swimsuit, but I know there will be more opportunities. But from staying in the desert to staying right on the beach, the hotels were unbelievable. One was a full resort, I was in heaven.

I bonded with so many people on this trip and made many new friends. Matt and I are now siblings, because of our blonde hair. The Tunisians seemed to think that we were related and that Tim and Marriam were brother and sister too. It will be a running joke for awhile.

We also have a million memories at every meal because as soon as we would get through the main course, we would rush to the dessert bar. Matt and I had a system by the end of the trip - to get all of your desserts (one of everything obviously) before you sit down. Then you don't have to worry that you won't be able to get dessert. It was a carefully planned strategy, which the majority of everyone did by the end.

I also always enjoyed the bus rides, to journal and listen to music. It always reminds me of the bus scene in Almost Famous, which always brings a smile to my face. There was a lot of time for reflection and lots of time for fun as well. I'm still leaving out a lot about the trip. But I have to leave something to talk about when I get back. :)

To conclude, it was the trip of a lifetime. A ton of fun with great friends. And memories I hope to never forget. For those of you who read this whole post, thank you. I know it was a lot. But I'm glad you read it all, because I wanted to share it with all of you! I took over 900 photos and though not all of them will go on Facebook, the majority will.

Much love,
Katherine