May 31st: Kosice Day Three

May 31st

Today we had the morning off to relax or do whatever we wanted. Molly, Courtney, and I decided that we wanted to go to the main street and hang out in the park in front of the opera house and climb St. Elizabeth's tower (160 steps) that was said to have a great view of the city.

After we had toured around, we decided to grab some lunch before we headed back to the hotel. We stopped at a restaurant that Vish had recommended! After that we wandered back to the hotel and got on the bus that was going to take us to a cultural event which was the Tokaj Winery.

We had to ride in the bus for about 20 minutes to get to the winery but the drive was beautiful and there was a lot of beautiful green fields and lots of trees. Once we arrived at the winery we entered into the welcome building and it radiated happiness. There was a live band playing music and people dancing and having so much fun! 

We then had a tour of the underground cellars of Tokaj and learned how to taste wine, which with most of us not really knowing how to taste wine, was pretty comical. We then went back to the welcome building and had the chance to buy bottles of the wine we liked the best and dance around with some of the locals. It was really fun! :)

We then headed back to the hotel. It was kind of interesting because I have been thinking a lot about what it would be like to play basketball overseas, I was actually praying about it and asked God to show me a sign if he thinks that it is something that I should try to pursue. Not 5 minutes later was there a huge billboard of the Slovakian women's basketball professional team on the side of the road, I think I got his message! :)

 After arriving back in Kosice we ordered pizza and packed our stuff to head to Budapest in the morning!

Kosice has been A LOT different then Poland. You can definitely tell that this city (and country) has just gained its independence recently and is just beginning to build their own culture and reputation. It has been very educational to visit Kosice and see the differences that come from being in different countries in this region. 

Jumping in the fountain! :)

The view from the top of St. Elizabeth's cathedral tower. 160 steps and a beautiful view of the main street of Kosice.

Tokaj Winery!

May 30th: Kosice Day Two

May 30th

^{Today we started off our morning by visiting T-Systems. T-systems is a company that deals with IT services and consulting by using a global infrastructure of data centers and networks. T-systems operates information and communication technology systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions. It is one of the largest European IT service companies and operates in more than 20 different countries and employs approximately 53,000 people.  I found this business very interesting; the employees had an AWESOME power point to show us; that was engaging and interesting explaining what they do and how they do it. We then got a tour of the facilities, which turned out to be very open and well organized. We also got a ‘gift bag’, which had a lot of fun gadgets in it such as a calculator and a portable USB charger.}

^{After our business visit we were free to find our own lunch. Molly, Courtney, and I found a Panini place and sat down for a while to enjoy lunch and a Coke and to decide what we were going to do with the rest of our day.}

^{The rest of our day was spent touring around the city. We saw some of the underground ruins that were still there that showed how the town used to be protected by walls that are now underground, it was very hard to imagine and understand but overall very interesting. We then got to tour around the city a little more and our tour guide took us to the parliament building.}

Then we all split up and shopped around a little bit on the main street. Molly and I hadn't brought any warm jackets so we decided to buy one, it has been FREEZING here. We also bought a few souvenirs and stopped for some ice cream! There is a really big mall here as well that is very modern and expensive, it kind of looks out of place in this city. 

^{After some time spent on the main street we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We went to a really awesome restaurant that was decorated like we were in the medieval times. The whole group went to dinner together and it was an absolute blast, we all stayed there for about 3 hours and just laughed and talked! :)} 

After dinner we headed back to the hotel to get some rest. We haven’t done as much here as we did in Krakow, most of us are really tired and most of us are trying to fight off a cold as well.

Molly, Courtney, and I outside of T-Systems.

The group at the underground museum that showed the walls that used to protect the city of Kosice.

Inside the parliament building on the main street of Kosice.

Vish and I headed to our group dinner! 

May 29th: Kosice Day One

May 29th

^{This morning we were all packed and ready to head to Kosice, Slovakia. After eating breakfast we boarded a bus that seemed to be a bit small, so small that our luggage had to go in a trailer that was pulled behind the bus. But we all were pretty tired and thought that we would be able to rest the whole time (the drive was supposed to take about 4 hours and 15 minutes).}

^{To our dismay however the roads were VERY bumpy and the road could be compared to one that is winding through the mountain and many people got car sick, we had to pull over at a grocery store for a bit because we all needed to walk around and get some air. While at this grocery store in the middle of nowhere Slovakia we all went in looking for a snack. The people here could not speak English at all so it was a challenge trying to purchase some crackers and 7-up. We all got our snacks and boarded the bus again to continue our trek to Kosice. A trip that was supposed to take 4 hours, ended up taking about 6 and we were all pretty tired, grumpy, and car sick once we arrived. However, we couldn’t be to grumpy we had a city tour about an hour after we arrived.}

<sup>We had time to go find something to eat before the tour. Molly, Courtney, Maddie, Morgan, and I wandered around by our hotel and finally decided on a sandwich place that had a similar set up to Subway, but was NOTHING like home. When asking for lettuce they were so confused, turns out they call it salad here. We then met up with our new tour guide Marta and had a tour of the city. We saw Kosice’s angel of arms, cathedral, park fountain, and opera house. All of the sites we saw were on Kosice’s main street and not a very long walk, which was a good thing because we were all exhausted and I was beginning to get a stuffy nose. It began to get very cold and none of us had packed many warm clothes so we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

We got some money out of the ATM,  here they use Euro's which converted is about 1.36$ to 1 Euro!</sup>

^{We ate dinner in a nice little restaurant that was on the main street; it was down in the basement and had wooden tables and chairs that were covered with animal fur. I had a salad that had some awesome spread on it and salmon that was out of this world. On the way home from dinner we stopped into the opera house and had the opportunity to see how beautiful the inside of it was and then we decided to head back to the hotel and go to bed.}

^{Tomorrow we have a visit at a business named T-Systems in the morning and then we have the afternoon off to relax or tour around the city!}

Half-angel as shield-bearer, with Kosice's coat of arms.

St. Elizabeth's Cathedral

An awesome park located on the main street of Kosice. Through out the park music would play and the water in the fountain would jump and 'dance' with it. Kosice's opera house can also be seen behind the fountain. 

May 28th: Krakow Day Four

May 28th

Today was a very hard and ‘heavy’ day. We went to the concentration and death camp known as Auschwitz. Without a doubt in my mind every human being in this world should visit this camp, experience the horrific images and sights and make sure nothing like this EVER happens again. It was one of the most eye opening experiences I have ever been exposed to.

We arrived at Auschwitz around 11 a.m. and were placed with a short little blonde lady that could speak English but with a very thick accent, we had to wear headphones and a radio tuned into a microphone that the tour guide wore. We began our tour by walking into a gate that said “Work will set you free.”

To begin the tour we were first exposed to different images of people being brought to the concentration camps, the images were heartbreaking. But then came same of the worst stuff of all. In ‘block #5’ we were exposed to all of the belongings of the people that were brought to the camp that were saved and put on display. Some of the things included were prosthetics legs and crutches, pots and pans, suitcases, and SO many pairs of shoes. But the worst of all that was a room that showed all the hair that the Nazi’s had shaven off of every prisoner that entered the camp and that had been saved in preparation for making different types of blankets and pillows.

From this point we were shown the living quarters. They were absolutely horrendous, with rooms floors just covered in straw and bathrooms that were tiny. There was a dark and dusty basement that had ‘standing cells’ where groups of victims would stand and most of the time would suffocate. You can see why many people died from disease because the tight quarters so many people lived in and the amount of hygiene care that was available (aka NONE). There was a wall outside of these quarters that victims would be shot and we also entered a gas chamber that had ovens (kind of like crematories). I cannot explain the overwhelming ‘heavy’ feeling of this place. There were no birds chirping, everyone there had their heads hung low and tears in their eyes, it was truly life changing.

While the tour continued I found out that Auschwitz had two parts to it. One which we first saw that had a type of ‘museum’ in it, the other which is named Birkenau which was about 1.5 miles away from Auschwitz. Birkenau was where victims would be brought to stay and work. There was many gas chambers, however, still in this area that are now in ruins but the foundation was still there. There was places that the victims stayed here that went as far as the eyes could see and oh goodness, where they awful.

Visiting Auschwitz and Birkenau really opened my eyes about how absolutely horrible the Holocaust really was and I will never look at it the same, nor do I ever want to return to another death camp to see it. Once was enough for me.

The ride back to Krakow was pretty quite; I think everyone was truly reflecting on the experience. For me it was really eye opening and it really made me feel so blessed to have the life I do.

Once we returned to the hotel most of us felt like we need to go lay in our rooms and be upset, but we decided to get some lunch instead. We just ate at the hotel and had an interesting Greek salad and Gnochi (kind of like a noodle with meat in the inside).

After that Courtney, Molly, and I went to the dragon’s den. The dragon is an old myth of Krakow it had a spiral staircase and then a room that was similar to what you would see in tour of an underground cave, made very much for kid’s to enjoy but it was still fun to go and see. We then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner, we were going to dress up and head to a last dinner in Krakow in the market square.

We all had one of the best nights of our lives in market square that night, dancing the night away J And to make it even better we heard the trumpeter and waved to him for good luck!!

I had an awesome experience as well. While walking in the square I saw a homeless lady head first into a trashcan looking for food, for some reason my heart really ‘twanged’ at her and I decided I needed to give her some money. I had a 10 zelta left which is equal to about 3 USD$. I walked up to her and she did not want to make eye contact with me or let alone let me talk to her. This lady was carrying two bags, one full of cans and the other full of scrappy clothes probably all that she owned. When I handed her the money she began crying and buried her head in my chest. Although she was speaking Polish from her actions I could tell she was so grateful and I was able to pick out her saying thank you many times. I teared up myself after this incident and it truly was a moment that reminded me of how blessed I am to be on this wonderful adventure and to never forget to help the people out that need it most.

We head to Kosice, Slovakia tomorrow. I am going to really miss Poland and all of its culture and people. I love this place. <3

Attached are some pictures from Auschwitz, they are pretty hard to see. It is also hard for me to comment on all of them:

Entering into Auschwitz, the sign states "Only work will set you free."

Suitcases of victims.

So many shoes, an entire hallway of them.

Gas Chamber.

Birkenau railroad memorial of the victims. Actual railroad where victims were brought to this area to be tortured, killed, and treated like animals.

Now some different pictures of my day:

Lunch from the hotel. A Greek salad and Gnochi (kind of like a noodle with meat in the inside)

The dragon's den!

Last night in Krakow celebrations!! :)

Cheers to this beautiful city! I will be back KRAKOW! <3

May 27th: Krakow Day Three

May 27th

Today we were all pretty tired when we woke up, we had a long day yesterday but we had to get up early again this morning and get ready to head to another business.

After eating a similar breakfast to the previous morning we headed to our second business “Duckie Deck,” which is a new and uprising company that makes apps for kids to learn about sharing, making meals, and all types of other fundamental life skills. We walked to a very different part of Krakow that we had on our tour, we headed to the ‘newer’ part of the city. The buildings and area around this part of the city seemed to be more our type of generation people. Once we made it to the company, we met with the CEO Mr. Marek Przystas as well as his business partner that also worked with him. He showed us his workplace and it seemed almost just like a giant hang out room. There were computers everywhere and people lounging in chairs and even dogs sleeping on the floor, it was a very laid back facility. We then headed to a coffee shop to talk to the CEO about his business. He showed us a lot about Duckie Deck and how he had started the business, as well as explaining to us that ideas can turn into reality with hard work. They then asked us the question of would we rather work for a big, well-developed company or start our own. We had both kinds of answers and this almost perplexed the two men of Duckie Deck. They believed that without a doubt, starting your own business was the best way to go. I found this very interesting because this idea of business is much different then that of Americans. Many people in my generation in the U.S. want to graduate college and get a good job with a highly developed business, but here in Poland our generation is all about innovation and starting their own companies. It was interesting for them to mention this to us because this side of Krakow seemed very much like an area where our generation was just getting started on businesses and trying to make them successful. After meeting with them for a couple of hours we headed back to the hotel. We all took about a three hour nap and then decided to head to lunch.

We found a local restaurant with pizza and other cuisines so we decided to eat there. I ordered a salmon salad and the salmon came out raw on the top, very interesting and not my favorite. Everything is so cheap here compared to America.

After we ate we decided to shop around a little bit and then head up to the market square to explore a bit more. For dinner we had a Kebab sandwich and then called it a night.

Tomorrow is going to be really hard, we are heading to Auschwitz. L

Local 'pizza' restaurant.

Having more fun in market square!

Our Kebab Dinner!

And a beautiful view to top off the evening :)