Hi! (from Ashley)
This is my first post. I feel like I should state some sort of goals. Well, I’d like to get pet rocks from all corners of the globe (which means traveling there first), and speak the languages where the rocks came from, and write about the journeys here so I don’t forget the minute feelings of day to day life. Also to give a small picture to my friends or family who care to know about what I’m up to.
We got back from Nice, France last night around midnight. Every time I travel somewhere I feel like I get a “country update” with new perspectives of what daily life is like there, how awesome or not the food is, etc. In the case of Nice, the food was great and the area I saw was beautiful. We stayed at a great hostel and met 2 girls from New Zealand. They are traveling across Europe for a year and working at hostels in exchange for a place to stay (and I would guess a little money). That was thought provoking.. and it certainly sounds like an adventure and a cool way to see new places cheaply. I can’t say I did that much in Nice except for watch 2 incredible sunsets, 1 sunrise, eat some good food, sun bathed a bit, went “jellyfishing”, and swimming. That pretty much sums it up.
What can I say? Crappy fall colors says Jered.
Jered and I had such a great time, especially putting the “frightening reds” in their place. We named the species of jellyfish that we were hunting that, as we didn’t know their real name, and this was more fun. We think we do a better job naming critters anyway… who says Adam gets to have all the fun? Not us! We even incorporated teamwork with the locals (ranging age 5-9) and gave them our probing devices when we called it a day. It was lots of fun.
This jellyfish is known as a ‘frightening red.’
It’s been so amazing to have so many different landscapes within a few hours of the Alps, and we’ve certainly been taking advantage of it. Since May I’ve been to China, Thailand, Cambodia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Scotland, France, Italy, Monaco, and the Vatican. Wow. I can’t say at this point how it has changed me, but I’m sure that this is leaving a mark on me. I expect that after I’ve been living in the States for a while again I’ll be able to tell the difference. The internet makes such a difference as far as keeping in touch with everyone, and facebook allows me to actually see what they are up to. I’m happy for that.
We are having a Thanksgiving dinner with the “Austro-American Society” that will be potluck. I’m glad I still get turkey and all the dressings even if I’m not at home. School is going well, and there is always something to study. My German is improving, but not as quickly as I would like it to. Over the next two weeks I’d like to use my “german intensive trainer” to get me up to speed. I would like to start running again too, but the cold has proven a successful deterrent in the past (when it was warmer), so I’ll really have to make an effort for that to happen. That’s all for now. Next time Jered will show me how to put pictures up, and they can tell the story for me..
edit* he just showed me! (how to add pictures)