Hey, A Few Hundred Years Ago My Country Left Your Country... Let's Celebrate!

I am about to say something very un-American, something terribly unpatriotic, something that contradicts the very essence of my country... the Fourth of July is not my favorite holiday. In fact, I am more partial to Groundhog's Day than the Fourth. The Fourth of July is a bit like New Year's Eve, so much hope, so much promise, so much hype and so much let down. However, just like New Year's Eve each and evey year must be approached with excitement. Maybe, just maybe it will be the one year that the holiday lives up to all the wishes and dreams pinned upon it. A month ago Sanne and I came together with the idea of planning an amazingly American Fourth of July party, as American of a Fourth of July celebration one American and one Belgian can plan together.

It was to be modeled upon our Thanksgiving feast. We would invite the American Studies class and have them bring guests, hoping to further diversify the party. However, this party would have one small difference, the Belgian believed we should dress the part of a famous American/American stereotype. As the weeks progressed Sanne and I's time in the library "studying for our dissertation" turned into list making sessions. "Food for the Party" "Invitees" "Costume Ideas" "Decorations" etc. While these lists may have been penned a month or two before the actual event, the real preparation, of course, didn't occur until the night before/day of the party.

As mentioned at some point in this blog there is a Wal-Mart equivalent store in the UK, ASDA. ASDA is of course wonderful for party planning, everything you need in one store. However, ASDA is quite a distance from the flat. Being quite a nice person (also desperately searching for a costume) Richard volunteered to make the epic journey to ASDA. With baskets filled with cans of peaches, strawberries, hotdogs, marshmallows, gummy worms and potatoes we made our way to the clothing section of ASDA. Having purchased costumes at the store before we had high hopes for the acquiring the best costumes ever. But Richard and I had forgotten one tiny detail.... we previously purchased costumes for Halloween. Shockingly enough we had such luck with costumes because of the date of our costume shopping, there were no costumes to be found this time. After wandering around the clothing section of the store for a good half an hour inspiration struck in the form of an absolutely hideous brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, we would go as tacky American tourists! Simple yet fitting.

The Fourth of July was spent at Sanne's flat in preparation. In the early morning Sanne expressed her great concern about their being a lack of food for the party guests. Upon seeing a cake, dirt cups, smores, apple pies, peach cobbler, corn on the cob, baked beans, hot dogs, cole slaw and chips I believe she changed her mind. My mom once again saved the overall look of the party by sending decorations. The American flag crepe paper, Old Navy shirts and actual American flags really made the party authentic as did the heat of the kitchen. Due to our extreme day of cooking and the extreme amount of people in a small kitchen the temperature was roasting... just like a Kansas fourth.

Everyone greatly impressed with their costumes. In addition to the tacky tourist there was a beatnik, Marilyn Monroe, a cowboy, a Yankees player, Johnny Cash among others. There was also a game of United States Trivia that apparently was far too difficult and the game was quickly abandoned and questions were just read. Did you know that Hawaii is the happiest state (not surprising) and West Virginia is the unhappiest? Kansas is the tenth happiest state, pretty good I would say! The Largest Prairie Dog town is also in Kansas..... it's pretty special.

Sanne was extremely impressive with her decorative picture murals! This is just one of the few she had up around the flat.

The American Flag cake. So easy to make and so perfect for the Fourth of July. Minus the fact that as a  perfectionist it never turns out how I want it to because the strawberry juice runs all over the cake.... probably due to the super hot kitchen!

Half-Way through the party the tacky tourists decided to trade hats. This is notable because the baseball cap actually says "homerun".. oh the clothes you can buy at ASDA! Also, side ponytails are apparently "American"

The hostesses! Sanne was so gracious to do so much planning and to host the party in her flat, I know everyone is greatly indebted to her. She is pretty much the best.

No food shortage here!

Just like our Thanksgiving feast, I was the only American celebrating the American holiday. I have to say in some ways I will miss this. It is really entertaining to find out how it is believed American holidays are celebrated. No, we actually don't go around on the Fourth of July shooting holes in road signs... well at least I never have. It is also fun to pass on some of my own holiday traditions and be repaid with Lithuanian dinners, Belgian waffles, French traditions, etc. One of the many, many, many perks of living in a foreign country. As for the celebrations stateside, it sounds as though despite the heat my family and friends managed to have a pretty wonderful Independence Day and see some great fireworks. I did miss the firework displays, Richard popping a party popper next to my ear while mid-conversation did not exactly hold the same effect. 

A Queen, A Torch and a Million Reasons to Love the UK

It has been an absolutely shocking amount of time since my last post. In fact, so much time has passed that the layout of my blogger account has changed! I promise there will be a number (well at least two!) posts detailing all the exciting happenings that have occurred since my last post. These posts will be penned by the amazing and incredibly talented authors that are my brother Michael and dearest friend Kelsie. I am hoping this flattery will inspire them to actually begin writing!

As I said much has happened since cycling the Isle of Cumbrae... to be honest, that feels like decades ago! My family popped over (or took a series of painfully long flights) to the UK! It is hard to describe how wonderful it was to have my family visit. It was so exciting to have them see all the places I have come to know and love over the last year and to meet all the people that have come to mean so much to me. While living abroad has certainly been the most enjoyable challenge I have ever had to tackle, every challenge has certain downfalls that are impossible to overcome. And what might be this downfall? Well, it is now practically impossible to have all the people I love the most in the World together in one room at the same time. My family's visit made this fantasy a bit closer to a reality!

I was terribly sad to see my family go but also excited about the numerous things a summer is Glasgow was to offer. I have often been told that this is the absolute best year to be living in the UK and so far this summer has certainly proven that statement. First, the Queen's Diamond Jubilee happened early in June. I was able to celebrate in true British style (even while living in Scotland!) with a Jubilee party. On the eve of this Jubilee party I also attended a birthday party and a going away party. I would love to say that my social calendar is always so jammed-packed... sadly this is not the case, I must admit to spending quite a few nights in my sweat pants pretending to work on my dissertation while watching game shows. But, not on this night! Instead I got to throw on my best party clothes and hit the town... Sadly, I did not win "most British" at the Jubilee party but the evening was still a great success.

To continue a summer of British pride it was time for Glasgow to celebrate the upcoming Olympics! I personally celebrated Olympic Fever by purchasing tickets to one of the events. Yes! Just when I thought all hope was lost and I would never fulfill my dream of seeing an Olympic event, it was announced that soccer/football was coming to Glasgow! And, because I couldn't settle for just one match, I will be attending four Olympic soccer matches, one featuring the US women! An interesting bit of sport/Olympic English jargon. Unlike in America the term "athletics" does not refer to all branches of sport. Instead, "athletics" means track and field and "athletes" are track and field participants.... For my American friends just imagine trying to complete a crossword here in the UK!

To further the Olympic fever the Olympic torch was run through Glasgow earlier this month. Fortunately, we snagged amazing seats perched on a wall opposite the main gate of the University. The streets of Glasgow were transformed into a giant party parade as the Bank of Scotland party bus and Coca-Cola bus came racing down the road with music blaring and riders dancing. The crowds of people felt a rush of Olympic spirit and came crushing down the road in high hopes of seeing the famed torch weave its way brightly through the streets. However, this passion was met with despair as the number 62 bus destined for Faifley came chugging down the road. But, alas! Olympic spirit was renewed as the torch came past a mere 20 minutes later, whizzing by in just under five seconds. Having been lucky enough to see the Olympic torch in 1996, I knew what to expect with the passing of the torch. However, my torch viewing companions were a bit unimpressed by the anticlimax that is the torch. I love the Olympics and I love seeing the torch. I would see the torch race past a million times if I could but it is slightly anticlimactic, they run past pretty quickly and the flame is not quite the tower of fire power you might expect. But, honestly if you get the chance to see the torch.... GO! And celebrate with a cold one from the Coca-Cola party bus.

I was invited to take part in the University's Open Day as a student volunteer. It would be my job to escort busses filled with students and parents from the University to their tour of student accommodation. I had a great day and met lots of interesting people, I even met a woman from Kansas City! To make the day even better I was paid for my services. Because I was being paid by the University I had to register for a National Employment Number. This consisted of some time on the phone spelling out passport and visa details. I know many of you are interested in the small and sometimes great differences between America and the UK.... well lets start with the small to some but the great to me, my name. Kathryn, is the American (and more beautiful) spelling of the English Katherine. As you can imagine this spelling causes some difficulties, witnessed in the following conversation with the very helpful number agency man.

Number Agency Man: What's your Name?

Me: Kathryn, K-A-T-H-R-Y-N

Number Agency Man: Okay just a moment... K-A-T-H-R-Y-N

Me: Yes, perfect

Number Agency Man: So no "E"

Me: Nope, no "E"

Number Agency Man: Are you absolutely sure

Me:....... Yes, I am sure there is no "E"

Oh what fun it is to continuously shock the British.

I apologize for my excessive use of exclamation marks..... but look forward to telling all about my first Fourth of July in the country that started it all!

Tour de Cumbrae

Seeing as I am leaving for London this afternoon to meet my family (very, very happy to be seeing them!) I was thinking of skipping blogging about Richard and I's most recent adventure. However, after being told that I would disappoint the masses and that I MUST tell the story, I will quickly share of our adventures (therefore, this blog will be composed almost entirely of photos.).

After finishing our exams and piles upon piles of essays, Richard and I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a Scottish vacation before parting ways to see our families. We had been wanting to do some kind of adventurous/outdoors activity for awhile and it was decided that cycling was the best option. We spent an evening in the town of Greenock and then made our way by train to Largs. In Largs we caught a ten minute ferry delivering us on the Isle of Cumbrae.

What Happened in Cumbrae:
1. After  I was strictly told it would be in my best interest to wear leggings rather than jeans, I foolishly believed that Richard and I would be dressed in "gym clothes" to cycle the island... But, somehow Richard ended up looking like a GQ model in jeans, sweater and golf jacket while I looked like a horrible collaboration of the cheapest things Wal-Mart and Primark have to offer (leggings, a Scottish rugby shirt and my beloved Primark anaconda rain poncho).

2. The Isle of Cumbrae is apparently the safest place ever. Upon asking for bike locks we were laughed at and told "oh just ditch them by the road if you want to go in some place... no one will take them."

3. Cycling up a super steep hill is worth finding a tiny, beautiful and very old church.

4. My competitive nature definitely shone through on the bike ride. Instead of leisurely taking my time to pedal around the island partaking in conversation with my fellow bicyclist, I attacked the pavement. I was generally a mile ahead of Richard and took very few scenic breaks. In fact, I was generally so far ahead and so unobservant that at one point Richard pulled off the road, hiding, to see how long it would take me to look back. I never looked back. Oops.

5. Everytime I am able to visit the Scottish countryside I am reminded of the absolute beauty of the landscape. The pebble and sand beaches (pebble beaches on one side of the island, sand on the other) were so picturesque and charming.

6. According to Richard, the Island of Cumbrae would be the perfect retirement community for people between the ages of 60 and 75. He feels it would be a safe investment to house retirees on the island because it's safe, beautiful and according to him "older people would love this place!" Perhaps, then I shouldn't admit how much I loved the Isle of Cumbrae, it might rocket my age to 60.

 Lion's Rock

The cycle around the island is 10.5 miles, it is a beautiful ride, lots of fun and best of all.... incredibly inexpensive!

Czech-Mate: Visiting a Friend in Prague

Getting to Prague is not easy, well not cheap.There is really no possible way to fly inexpensively from the UK to Prague. It was for this reason that I really debated whether or not to visit the city. I had always wanted to go to Prague it was close to the top of the list (This mental list changes constantly and includes almost every city in the World... I'm not picky, when it comes to travel!). However, after much thought and with a little convincing I decided I really should go, when else would I get to visit Prague? And, while it may be expensive it was certainly much less expensive than flying from the US. So with British Airways tickets booked I was ready to check another country off the list.

My flight arrived in Prague close to midnight, unfortunately meaning that very little exploration could take place. I travelled to Caitlin's flat and we decided to call it an early night so to take full advantage of the following day. Caitlin's flat is in an ideal location. Being on the north side of the river, she has excellent views of the castle and access to a vast number of restaurants and shops but is just far enough away from the largest tourist destinations. Her neighborhood is quiet and quaint but only minutes away from the busiest areas of Prague, it's really an ideal location. Prague's public transportation is incredibly impressive. A 24 hour transport ticket allows you full access to trams, metros, buses and even a funicular! And all this is located in a city that is immensely walkable. While I enjoyed the public transportation I always believe the best way to see a new city is on foot and Prague made this simple.

My first day in Prague consisted of wandering around the city with Caitlin. We walked to Charles Bridge, across Old Town, down King Wencelas Square, and down the river pathways before having an authentic Czech meal. Prague is absolutely gorgeous, it is described by many as Paris in miniature, which I believe to be a fairly apt depiction. Each and every building has something to add to the city, whether it be gargoyles, intricate facade carvings, murals, mosaics or elaborate statuary there is not a single plain building in the city. While I have lots of pictures from Prague the city is impossibly difficult to photograph, it is a place you simply have to visit to see. Also, my camera has truly transformed into a Scottish camera and has no idea how to photograph objects on a sunny day.

Following our full day of exploration, Caitlin had made plans to attend an 80's/90's night at a local club. According to the ever trusty Lonely Planet guide book the people of Prague love their 80's/90's dance nights. The guidebook seemed confused by this passion. I, however, have no confusion whatsoever about this love. Who doesn't want to spend hours upon hours singing Tina Turner, doing the YMCA, and teaching Czech People the Cotton Eyed Joe? Because I did all of these things and had an amazing night.

 

 This is how excited I was about 80's/90's dance night!

Don Giovanni is an opera written by Mozart that originally premiered in Prague. The opera has gone on to become the seventh most viewed opera in the World. Prague sees the opera as a rich part of their history and the opera is performed each and every day using marionettes. I was hoping to have a chance to go see this marionette opera but considering the price decided to give it a skip (The average beer in Prague cost less than 50CZK the Opera tickets cost 597CZK.... (597CZK= 30.35 Dollars, 18.87 Pounds, 23.56 Euros and finally 248.23 Rand). Rather than going to the Opera I visited a marionette shop, where the store keeper attempted to give me a lesson on using marionettes.

 Caitlin attempting to use the Harry Potter Marionette

Finally getting it to walk across the floor.... very, very slowly!

Friday and Saturday were spent with more wandering around the city, vising the castle and various parks. The parks in Prague are beautiful and a nice, quiet escape from the thriving city just steps outside the garden's gates.

 A piece of Scotland escaped to Prague!

 Occupy Prague

Statue to Franz Kafka

On Sunday, Caitlin and I decided to get outside of Prague and went to the city of Terezin. The drive to Terezin was beautiful and the landscape was surprising. Field after field was entirely yellow with hip high plants bursting with tiny yellow flowers. Upon my arrival home I did a bit of research and discovered that these are actually fields of rapeseed, the seed used to make canola oil. The town of Terezin is a fairly small city in the Czech Republic, what makes the city so famous is its fortress. The military fortress was built in the 18th century but was never under direct siege. During World War One the fortress was first used as a military prison. And, finally during WWII the Nazis used Terezin as a concentration camp, referring to it by it's German name, Teresienstadt.

Teresienstadt was used primarily as a holding camp. Vast number of prisoners spent days, weeks, months and sometimes years in the camp before being sent on to camps such as Treblinka and Auschwitz. The camp was also chosen to house Jewish artists, writers and musicians. These artists were forced to aid the Nazis in presenting the camp in a positive fashion to Red Cross officers. The Red Cross was provided a tour of Teresienstadt, one that would lead them to believe life for the Jewish people in concentration camps was better than a life they could achieve in the outside world. Special shaving rooms, shower facilities, bunk houses, etc were constructed for the sole purpose of the Red Cross tour. In actuality these rooms were never used by the prisoners. The tour of the concentration camp was as greatly moving and emotional as one might expect. The most poignant moment came at the tour's end. While Teresienstadt was not used as a death camp executions were still used as a means of ultimate punishment in the camp. An execution wall was located in the rear of camp and as many as 30 prisoners were executed at a time. As you walk past the execution wall the path loops by a cinema and pool used by Nazi officials and their children. Sources of entertainment only steps away from the greatest of human tragedies.

Returning to Prague we had a nice lunch and decided to visit the Senate Gardens. The gardens are quite impressive and have a collection of peacocks, including two white birds. Birds seemed to be the theme of the day, before even arriving at the peacock gardens we ran into a few street performers with macaws.

On my final day in Prague, Caitlin had class most of the day so I was on my own when it came to exploring the city. The night before I decided upon a few museums I wanted to visit and mapped out how to find each. I am happy to say that I was able to find all the places I hoped to visit and even managed to fit in a few more. While I was surprised at how much I enjoyed wandering the city on my own, I really did miss having someone to make the odd comment to or discuss what was being seen. I finally cracked and called Richard to rant about people not wearing the yarmulke they were strictly asked to wear upon entering the Synagogues, but other than that I was able to keep most of my comments to myself. Travelling alone certainly has its perks but travel is best when shared.

Making my way back to Caitlin's apartment I strolled across the Charles Bridge for a final time. The bridge is so breath-takingly beautiful. But, having crossed it multiple times and putting full concentration into weaving in and out of the hundreds of tourist on the bridge I rushed along ignoring the gorgeous views. Half way across the bridge a man began playing a violin. Despite the horribly tacky accompanying music the man was an incredible violinist. His music was so beautiful that I stopped my hurried pace and instead overlooked the city once more. Perhaps it was the pure exhaustion I was feeling from days of little sleep or missing having a travel companion but as I overlooked the gorgeous views of Prague I became a little emotional. I tell people that this year causes me to frequently have moments of "is this real life?" and this moment in Prague was certainly one. I was so lost in the beauty of the city, the beauty of the music and my own happiness. That is until the beautiful music stop and the violinist started screaming at someone in Czech. While I have absolutely no grasp of the language it became fairly obvious the violinist was shouting at someone for listening to his music and not paying a price. Well, I wasn't planning on paying so suddenly my emotional moment was abandoned as I pressed myself against the walls of the Charles Bridge hoping to be lost in the statuary as I shuffled away from the violinist. Fortunately my escape tactics worked and I wasn't verbally harassed in unfamiliar language.

To finish the tale of Prague I will share a travel secret I heavily employed throughout this trip. That travel secret is free samples. As a child my favorite day at the store was "try it" day. This day of course was Saturday and there would be multiple old woman lining the aisles of the grocery store with free samples of whatever the store was hoping to sell. I wouldn't eat lunch to prepare for this day. My love of free samples has carried over into travelling and while I am mocked for this (being told I sound like a house-wife) I reap all the benefits of the free samples. After having an absolutely terrible lunch at Heathrow I decided I missed Belgian chocolate. So, I made my way to the airport's shop and pretended to be interested in purchasing a box of chocolates. This feigned interest rewarded me a free truffle. In Prague, I saw a woman with a tray of "new!" frappuccinos. No need to tell this woman that this is actually my favorite drink at Starbucks and I know what it tastes like, another free sample! Back in the airport, I didn't really feel like being picked up by someone I hadn't seen in week smelling like airplane so it was time to hit the department stores. Again, faking interest in purchasing perfume only to receive some complimentary sprays. While this tactic works very well I will say that no matter how long you longingly look at Michael Korr's handbags in Harrods and pretend to have all the money in the World to purchase one, they won't give you a free sample. This should change.

Thank you Starbucks!!!