tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7698326419022658462024-02-20T14:28:45.755+01:00Annie MarekRotary Ambassadorial Scholar.
Rotaractor.
MBA candidate at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School.
Future Rotarian.
Ready for a life changing experience.Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-18075730560504913682011-09-13T16:31:00.000+02:002011-09-13T16:31:20.384+02:00Archipiélago de Colón (aka. Galapagos Islands)<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This week I hope to get you - all my loyal blog followers - up to speed on my last few months so get ready for it! It’s been an exciting time and I’m just itching to share it with all of you!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And I’ll start with last month where I was in the Galapagos Islands! Yes, you just read that right. (Here’s where you open a new internet screen and check where the Galapagos Islands are.) It shouldn't surprise you that it took us about 40 hours door-to-door travelling from Belgium. That included one overnight stay in the Guayaquil airport.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">You might be surprised to know (like I was) that there are over 18 islands in the Galapagos but only 4 are inhabited. A great majority of the islands, 97%, are national park; and on the remaining 3% there are only about 23,000 people. I’ve put a little map for you below and circled the islands we were able to go to, some are close and only a 20 min shuttle boat ride from the Baltra airport to Santa Cruz – our “home”. And some are far away with a big ocean we never could have made it there on the transport boats.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzZAmm9MDm0/Tm9ddz0V4GI/AAAAAAAAGu0/xdlk0tYJaNo/s1600/Galapagos+Islands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzZAmm9MDm0/Tm9ddz0V4GI/AAAAAAAAGu0/xdlk0tYJaNo/s320/Galapagos+Islands.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The islands are BEAUTIFUL each one is so unique and different. It was an amazing trip and there are so many pictures I could share with you all (over 450!) - but I won’t. I think it's better to just share with you some of my favorite pics of the flora & fauna and the people...</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tdzAWJ8I_wU/Tm9dufF3NUI/AAAAAAAAGvI/FSMBhUW6hRM/s1600/DSC02209-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="97" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tdzAWJ8I_wU/Tm9dufF3NUI/AAAAAAAAGvI/FSMBhUW6hRM/s400/DSC02209-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Seymour Island and a marine iguana</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2k9hXRfVNI/Tm9dGf-_3-I/AAAAAAAAGuk/ER4HQT_T-Qw/s1600/DSC01793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c2k9hXRfVNI/Tm9dGf-_3-I/AAAAAAAAGuk/ER4HQT_T-Qw/s320/DSC01793.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tortoise at the Charles Darwin Station, Santa Cruz Island<br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtM0Wk-Mj5w/Tm9dKszKjOI/AAAAAAAAGuo/7IQmJmN4-2Y/s1600/DSC01941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EtM0Wk-Mj5w/Tm9dKszKjOI/AAAAAAAAGuo/7IQmJmN4-2Y/s320/DSC01941.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beach at Isabela Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6uU0VAGs3Q/Tm9dcnq5wsI/AAAAAAAAGuw/DjW5C7Xxq9s/s1600/DSC02194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J6uU0VAGs3Q/Tm9dcnq5wsI/AAAAAAAAGuw/DjW5C7Xxq9s/s320/DSC02194.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blue-footed Boobies on North Seymour Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26uzKJIAjv0/Tm9dWT07x5I/AAAAAAAAGus/vJXclYZBhAs/s1600/DSC01988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-26uzKJIAjv0/Tm9dWT07x5I/AAAAAAAAGus/vJXclYZBhAs/s320/DSC01988.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea lion pup on North Seymour</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jyWaiHeMS2c/Tm9dkYh6Y9I/AAAAAAAAGu8/sCBFVZxISM8/s1600/DSC02135-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jyWaiHeMS2c/Tm9dkYh6Y9I/AAAAAAAAGu8/sCBFVZxISM8/s320/DSC02135-1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Owner of an organic coffee plantation on Santa Cruz Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OwkFC1KDnvI/Tm9douVKQEI/AAAAAAAAGvA/_-bcp-5ybRI/s1600/DSC01868-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OwkFC1KDnvI/Tm9douVKQEI/AAAAAAAAGvA/_-bcp-5ybRI/s320/DSC01868-1.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingos on Isabela Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ffXYfQI3Dco/Tm9dg-nqUaI/AAAAAAAAGu4/tPdEUOZiWvc/s1600/DSC02162-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ffXYfQI3Dco/Tm9dg-nqUaI/AAAAAAAAGu4/tPdEUOZiWvc/s320/DSC02162-1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional Ecuadorian dancers at the Ms. Puerto Ayora pageant on Santa Cruz Island</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-emqJGWih4n0/Tm9drF2oGeI/AAAAAAAAGvE/rWZkrBGaf1A/s1600/DSC02334-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="142" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-emqJGWih4n0/Tm9drF2oGeI/AAAAAAAAGvE/rWZkrBGaf1A/s400/DSC02334-1.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me on Bartolome Island, Pinnacle rock in the distance</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-79oMGS6Pu5k/Tm9mB0sHL8I/AAAAAAAAGz4/TT27-WR2_DU/s1600/DSC02374.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-79oMGS6Pu5k/Tm9mB0sHL8I/AAAAAAAAGz4/TT27-WR2_DU/s320/DSC02374.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My fantastic (and last) MBA team! Sean, Nick, Kelly, me, Paula, Gert, Tara & Iulia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While we were on the islands we volunteered with <a href="http://www.galapagosice.org/">Galapagos ICE</a>, a USA based NGO that is dedicated to improving healthcare and education for residents of the Galapagos Islands. Working daily with Emily, the President & Founder, and Eric, the Executive Director, refueled me after my long MBA year. Now I feel like I'm ready to get back to the real world! Or almost. ;-)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Coming soon another post...the final days of MBA and graduation! :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">See you soon!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1Galapagos Islands, Ecuador-0.823141 -91.096726999999987-40.9990995 -150.862352 39.3528175 -31.331101999999987tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-16879663188551810332011-07-16T13:19:00.000+02:002011-07-16T13:19:52.880+02:00Tearing down the wall<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Note - The delay in posting was due to China's internet censorship. </em>:(</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Greetings from China! Monday (6 July) was the first day of our study trip to China and I am overwhelmed by all I am seeing and tasting in Beijing! I wanted to share with you some of my first reactions of this new city, new country, and new continent for me that might interest you. This message below will be posted on my blog once I leave China (yes, China not only blocks facebook but my little blogspot too).</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beijing loves fast food. McDonald’s, KFC, Pizza Hut, Papa John’s, and even DQ. I only broke my “will not eat at USA fast food restaurants outside of the USA” rule once to have a Green Tea Blizzard. It sort of tasted like home! <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijRvnRDqunNuS0P6T2t4Jx5DuzvT7vTuHiP3h5hmlHEu87GtFj45qSmdTuvcTpAAfmFz8CHKBEzy34XHNIPZosQXx03QunrPbKm6-3u40m8-NMmtk3RTBIMqPzMCLjc-U6MKfje7cos0/s1600/DSC01362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijRvnRDqunNuS0P6T2t4Jx5DuzvT7vTuHiP3h5hmlHEu87GtFj45qSmdTuvcTpAAfmFz8CHKBEzy34XHNIPZosQXx03QunrPbKm6-3u40m8-NMmtk3RTBIMqPzMCLjc-U6MKfje7cos0/s320/DSC01362.JPG" width="179" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I don’t know that much about Chinese history. There are Emperors and dynasties that sound familiar but I’m not able to say who came when or even in what order. I realized this when I was walking around the Old & New Summer Place. History in this area of the world is completely unknown to me and I don’t like that. Also unknown to me was the amount of pollution in the air – look at the pics below, the white clouds are not fog but SMOG.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPTm1W1xdBEyPLuvrJj9qlJEpjwURM4ZVb0grhU7HmS38Aw2Z9qwEv5yGMYZNXNGEn_8_csX_wbDjoDgyORpx_LzIX9aMxsGAEyU3Jw1GLD2QSuAi28nSdAdRVbxrGJFUByzz9vW8Cmc/s1600/DSC01311-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrPTm1W1xdBEyPLuvrJj9qlJEpjwURM4ZVb0grhU7HmS38Aw2Z9qwEv5yGMYZNXNGEn_8_csX_wbDjoDgyORpx_LzIX9aMxsGAEyU3Jw1GLD2QSuAi28nSdAdRVbxrGJFUByzz9vW8Cmc/s320/DSC01311-1.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Old Summer Palace</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjv2R83P0-uP4Bn7LX1zER9uoM9H7VBOrOIQUaWmMWfk9_LZ-d4dyQSo-pQ6IPYEgN49AVBp0Vfdu8fsevr8qmQ8A0sKOnlF71vcwOP_geJvJ23ltcLhODpQlzqmkUk65MC5lROiTB8Q/s1600/DSC01336-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrjv2R83P0-uP4Bn7LX1zER9uoM9H7VBOrOIQUaWmMWfk9_LZ-d4dyQSo-pQ6IPYEgN49AVBp0Vfdu8fsevr8qmQ8A0sKOnlF71vcwOP_geJvJ23ltcLhODpQlzqmkUk65MC5lROiTB8Q/s320/DSC01336-1.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">New Summer Palace</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Beijingers are extremely helpful and friendly. Two minutes after I open a map people not only ask if they can help me but they offer to lead me to my destination. This is has turned out to be a lifesaver because many people do not speak English (even within the tourist destinations).</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We are one in a million. There are so many Chinese tourists in Beijing that foreign tourists stick out like a sore thumb. So that said often times when we’re walking we find people are taking our picture…so we started taking their picture back! <o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxmGx48iEtZ_wfXyPBi1zlf7obH203EiPZgo0HO9QPMk5V9EyKT33L-ipYc11lTxTWsg8jECfjyczXf4DGyi81f_cujkXG4CNoH49vF6ZjmNkyeHyecliHyWY99KaC9gaG34_4zcMl9s/s1600/DSC01454.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYxmGx48iEtZ_wfXyPBi1zlf7obH203EiPZgo0HO9QPMk5V9EyKT33L-ipYc11lTxTWsg8jECfjyczXf4DGyi81f_cujkXG4CNoH49vF6ZjmNkyeHyecliHyWY99KaC9gaG34_4zcMl9s/s320/DSC01454.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Me (purple shirt) and Paula (blond hair) with Chinese tourists<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The view is always worth it. Earlier in the week my classmate Paula (from Ireland) & I did a day bike & hike tour of the Great Wall in a non-touristy area. It was hot and sunny and the Great Wall isn’t a really easy climb, it’s steep and there are many broken steps, but the view was worth it!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNurKdTbOAd7urXof2hF7XffMmENFk_aNBxEni8BVOszRHAAl4MpJH4UghsorDwpT430uldTLIC4CNSnsQMXZnG54fIOOntlHpgu4NRzIeuU43FtQYe3eM1wMUtSIoicEjRU99IxM4sg/s1600/DSC01426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNurKdTbOAd7urXof2hF7XffMmENFk_aNBxEni8BVOszRHAAl4MpJH4UghsorDwpT430uldTLIC4CNSnsQMXZnG54fIOOntlHpgu4NRzIeuU43FtQYe3eM1wMUtSIoicEjRU99IxM4sg/s320/DSC01426.JPG" width="179" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Did you know the Great Wall was so steep?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWARFQJbWvJ4omJCNnBiAaDGXRMrFbkaZjoeJkXTjJpqC5ff7TRO1bkZ70UR22AeZ3lM2DQm8oAeSxCrc8k-7Ya6eqpbcmiZLYwSPQPV5wWQSv66CpqMrbKT-fRQOI4pnlO9S8Ap58qwo/s1600/DSC01435.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWARFQJbWvJ4omJCNnBiAaDGXRMrFbkaZjoeJkXTjJpqC5ff7TRO1bkZ70UR22AeZ3lM2DQm8oAeSxCrc8k-7Ya6eqpbcmiZLYwSPQPV5wWQSv66CpqMrbKT-fRQOI4pnlO9S8Ap58qwo/s400/DSC01435.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Great Wall <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Yes, Beijing is a great city to visit but I don’t think I could live. There are just SO many people and the city is SO huge that I think I would get lost daily.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">PS: To my family & friends in the USA, I hope you had a great 4<span style="font-size: small;"><sup>th</sup> of July! I truly missed the celebration, the picnic-ing, the parades, the boating, the fireworks and most importantly seeing all of you!</span></span></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-7729216629343850712011-06-26T12:38:00.000+02:002011-06-26T12:38:40.201+02:00NormanDy<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I just finished another busy month at school. For the last 8-odd weeks we have been “working” at companies for our In Company Project, think unpaid internship. But our projects came to a full stop this past week with our paper and defense. I’ll post more about that later, but today I’d like to share with you my trip to Normandy at the beginning of this month.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">June 2 is a holiday in Belgium and my work was closed on the 2<sup>nd</sup> & 3<sup>rd</sup> so I took a long weekend and went to the Normandy area of France. Also with the Anniversary of D-Day (June 6) being so close I thought it would be a great time to visit and it was! Unfortunately the Anniversary was on Monday and I had to get back to work so I wasn’t able to attend any of the memorial services.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Normandy has been on my list to visit for years but at my grandfather’s funeral I decided I needed to go to Normandy. Now I wouldn’t describe my family as a military family, but both my grandfathers and my father served in the Army. My grandfather that passed away was stationed at a POW camp in the USA during WW2. At his burial the flag was draped over his coffin, the bugler played Taps and the poem In Flanders Fields was read. We are a patriotic family. We grew up going to church on Memorial Day, flying the flag on the 4<sup>th</sup> of July (impressive because my parents don’t have a flagpole), and buying poppies from the Vets. Yes, I needed to go to Normandy.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I went solo and traveled by train, but for any of you thinking of visiting you really must rent a car. I would have been able to see so much more if I had my own wheels, note trains do not go to the landing beaches and they also cannot pull over so you can explore the markers along the side of the road.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">In addition to the WW2 sites, there were 2 things in my guidebook that I wanted to see: Mount St. Michel and the Monet gardens.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Mount St. Michel is a rocky island (when low tide) on the northern coast of France. There is a monastery dedicated to Saint Michael (as in the Archangel). It is a maze of narrow passageways and is a completely unique place. It is one of the most visited places in all of France and I will confirm that…there were so many people!</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrq5zVv6WDtYawo3RIYX2_Z0OgHYkrWN_ilUFHyrH8Sh-LKyXraHRkoXhypVZpjFbnKrSV31hfNlXj1cYdRdSQZCGyS9fH2osPVzUYxsYNlQGV2EXiABm3nJ_3cPkZejN70VJ3QO6-g0/s1600/DSC00957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrq5zVv6WDtYawo3RIYX2_Z0OgHYkrWN_ilUFHyrH8Sh-LKyXraHRkoXhypVZpjFbnKrSV31hfNlXj1cYdRdSQZCGyS9fH2osPVzUYxsYNlQGV2EXiABm3nJ_3cPkZejN70VJ3QO6-g0/s320/DSC00957.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mount St Michel in the distance on the left and the long line of cars waiting to get in.</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2sRHhdwvrLZusnUcxphj_btXXLoNCDWQpaSBY_A6nt-3-PeMoXFlWEPj1JiJ-NBz5bwBM1WoRyNzBoXfEwpbzhWPO56QKx5LAR2rhIPZGLmE-doKWSItrd7m8UhAR9pXKWuy81OjCAU/s1600/DSC01038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2sRHhdwvrLZusnUcxphj_btXXLoNCDWQpaSBY_A6nt-3-PeMoXFlWEPj1JiJ-NBz5bwBM1WoRyNzBoXfEwpbzhWPO56QKx5LAR2rhIPZGLmE-doKWSItrd7m8UhAR9pXKWuy81OjCAU/s320/DSC01038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mount St Michel & me.</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After MSM I traveled to the Brittany American Cemetery. This was one of the times I wish I had a car. The cemetery is located 3 km outside of a city that the trains or buses don’t even go to, so I taxied it. I wanted to go to this cemetery because my grandmother told me the best man from their wedding is buried there.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt6GIdz3dX3DfbBiqLkXB8onThG_DMBe-JR1gpxKwb1bgzfMcjinI__dkQRacMj0HaShL5CjTTaWqBfxC382cie-Gmua2e3a2xHj6JXWcym5ybYMI8jW5Hkr9QluFOtVP_gUiMlcT4uY/s1600/DSC01061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt6GIdz3dX3DfbBiqLkXB8onThG_DMBe-JR1gpxKwb1bgzfMcjinI__dkQRacMj0HaShL5CjTTaWqBfxC382cie-Gmua2e3a2xHj6JXWcym5ybYMI8jW5Hkr9QluFOtVP_gUiMlcT4uY/s320/DSC01061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Leonard Wistrcill, S Sgt 47 Inf BN 5 Armd Div, Minnesota Aug 12 1944</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I arrived close to closing time and the cemetery was quiet and peaceful.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0gNiXAE6DkhPG425E9IErW47j1pmj1hBu8dWbnI8EE7PZV0btRpzNdjkor1FBxaw_GgH30fcXVpbE_6NKCu0nh0UyWInRX4gf-hnf9i7Bhp0kss3kmxA_RRJGUvhUyILX8fiT0N2eKM/s1600/DSC01048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0gNiXAE6DkhPG425E9IErW47j1pmj1hBu8dWbnI8EE7PZV0btRpzNdjkor1FBxaw_GgH30fcXVpbE_6NKCu0nh0UyWInRX4gf-hnf9i7Bhp0kss3kmxA_RRJGUvhUyILX8fiT0N2eKM/s200/DSC01048.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRsrSzntCu22AyW9XoD4rsScfhteKbPHe7Tv-OGxjUNkla-dKOutR_YC1jFJNOXMHifiwMaL-o57R30nJLIHlWWJcYGXpNQvdhJu6mq0Z2myOAlgF2i58KQ855-7EiUCSAZ3-yMR88_o/s1600/DSC01100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRsrSzntCu22AyW9XoD4rsScfhteKbPHe7Tv-OGxjUNkla-dKOutR_YC1jFJNOXMHifiwMaL-o57R30nJLIHlWWJcYGXpNQvdhJu6mq0Z2myOAlgF2i58KQ855-7EiUCSAZ3-yMR88_o/s200/DSC01100.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Saturday I took a mini-van tour and was able to see many places that no train would take me to. We started at the German Cemetery that has a large mass grave for over 300 unknown soldiers in the center.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuhhPyamiiG_Nnqfe8dBqS7UtLPc_tjc9Pt05I4IY9fa3XttAewUJyunvS-848CbHFyjG8ajOsvbLT5BrSGo8aAHaN6H1tmo2FRA5RYo0XlYvbWVBDUkFF2-cJoN18sJjmr5UndCR6h4/s1600/DSC01111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOuhhPyamiiG_Nnqfe8dBqS7UtLPc_tjc9Pt05I4IY9fa3XttAewUJyunvS-848CbHFyjG8ajOsvbLT5BrSGo8aAHaN6H1tmo2FRA5RYo0XlYvbWVBDUkFF2-cJoN18sJjmr5UndCR6h4/s320/DSC01111.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Sainte Mere Eglise is the site of a large paratrooper landing on D-Day. The church honors those soldiers by depicting them as angles in the stained glass windows.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCOrSLze3a1atLA1ufL68N4TCblbf_fYp0BTZmQEvjrJbmaciy_IDtdppYE7shFrT16k5p-ZqeO2eyvX42AVmRvQvp3d41BavzQlhEg9O4VBAEpAQ2V9oTRnKcDoyiHrAvafegKL6-Bg/s1600/DSC01116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCOrSLze3a1atLA1ufL68N4TCblbf_fYp0BTZmQEvjrJbmaciy_IDtdppYE7shFrT16k5p-ZqeO2eyvX42AVmRvQvp3d41BavzQlhEg9O4VBAEpAQ2V9oTRnKcDoyiHrAvafegKL6-Bg/s320/DSC01116.JPG" width="161" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We also went to see the landing beaches: Utah and Omaha. It was a cold gray day and the wind held the voices from the past.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFktMNdWhyphenhyphennFPyIOuNfWgu8ddjjdok3PxE37MesNDoHoIe5k1ExliX8vxA22AKYHAXZnMw9aQZYORYhVHxhnFBVK3phn026j_SsrvZDwhORzKNiN-8810eOh2pl3EqznPNguaLMmsWAA/s1600/DSC01127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFktMNdWhyphenhyphennFPyIOuNfWgu8ddjjdok3PxE37MesNDoHoIe5k1ExliX8vxA22AKYHAXZnMw9aQZYORYhVHxhnFBVK3phn026j_SsrvZDwhORzKNiN-8810eOh2pl3EqznPNguaLMmsWAA/s200/DSC01127.JPG" width="141" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkrDPKVreoCcmY-cB70B0Rqxobd_bKQNEglww5QZBhp3EQRQAGK2rVY15V9tCDVp9z8vbi4t1xSZkipAlQGMlOhBpmi0W_HijBEkTmfm4raB6ZeoVIiLCMkzefWIMKvxQob2Yy1PCChs/s1600/DSC01122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNkrDPKVreoCcmY-cB70B0Rqxobd_bKQNEglww5QZBhp3EQRQAGK2rVY15V9tCDVp9z8vbi4t1xSZkipAlQGMlOhBpmi0W_HijBEkTmfm4raB6ZeoVIiLCMkzefWIMKvxQob2Yy1PCChs/s320/DSC01122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspNFDPHhCbxTQbsdqvI1JHudMzlH9pg-cKVOOB0EEbos-5ZliFJx12tW4v9ISFd-6frf6JK2UaU8J5Af2gyB6M8jd5AdbH1Ni25hCLkA2Z4PyKzzjBVKwKu26Wk1Jg1Hokkichd6WOBs/s1600/DSC01153.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspNFDPHhCbxTQbsdqvI1JHudMzlH9pg-cKVOOB0EEbos-5ZliFJx12tW4v9ISFd-6frf6JK2UaU8J5Af2gyB6M8jd5AdbH1Ni25hCLkA2Z4PyKzzjBVKwKu26Wk1Jg1Hokkichd6WOBs/s640/DSC01153.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Omaha Beach</span></em></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There were also stops on the cliff at Pointe du Hoc & Longues sur Mer to see the bombing craters and the remains of the pillboxes.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC9ueiblmCy5a53wkJnCJI7QiLL1MehQsbu2hAYTs0LZosKqIVCfjlIYJiEEAHuCWBgWabslkUdZQh-M4kaVq4It1itluwRYOkjGQq-d_Kdf1NL2J-W_M-X7qvolKZOmDtAuwZF1Wc-s/s1600/DSC01134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXC9ueiblmCy5a53wkJnCJI7QiLL1MehQsbu2hAYTs0LZosKqIVCfjlIYJiEEAHuCWBgWabslkUdZQh-M4kaVq4It1itluwRYOkjGQq-d_Kdf1NL2J-W_M-X7qvolKZOmDtAuwZF1Wc-s/s640/DSC01134.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWn1Gbb_sfeuWcMI-Y5JmmM4RrF6wk08RVIgVjA6dBhAiqsGJpXqmiO6Wo22JCZ-nOg7OhWYYWv1iRkZ8eEmxBYTeD9wNNVx36KHPH-xc_mv8KfQTEPktxJjXsqTL3xnPC6LdEycvpGk/s1600/DSC01203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWn1Gbb_sfeuWcMI-Y5JmmM4RrF6wk08RVIgVjA6dBhAiqsGJpXqmiO6Wo22JCZ-nOg7OhWYYWv1iRkZ8eEmxBYTeD9wNNVx36KHPH-xc_mv8KfQTEPktxJjXsqTL3xnPC6LdEycvpGk/s320/DSC01203.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The sea of gravestones at the Normandy American Cemetery marked the end of our tour.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZ0gHr2pZxBxROW6acGmFNNDE1r65fMfxYHRj3z0m6oE0vkm8Yt69ZlycjRrMCyyI3vva4yT7r6lv6HgmFQaz5jKGk8C-emnmJOz08y95dkakvijSzoYQWUKRgeftQRXPC1gMdGaASD0/s1600/DSC01192.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvZ0gHr2pZxBxROW6acGmFNNDE1r65fMfxYHRj3z0m6oE0vkm8Yt69ZlycjRrMCyyI3vva4yT7r6lv6HgmFQaz5jKGk8C-emnmJOz08y95dkakvijSzoYQWUKRgeftQRXPC1gMdGaASD0/s320/DSC01192.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv1fwjrUXGjI9BSo-In3CSwnTVVEwUnLojaLEcVk0Ud4RnOQLEApZUJtlWn_w8QI_-YBEUT-bROkiyUZmmQUU4FwdR7lIdXOvGCcH_vP71489M6SxXVukfOeJsT5q4vyoRN7EJW-H5Q0/s1600/DSC01173.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwv1fwjrUXGjI9BSo-In3CSwnTVVEwUnLojaLEcVk0Ud4RnOQLEApZUJtlWn_w8QI_-YBEUT-bROkiyUZmmQUU4FwdR7lIdXOvGCcH_vP71489M6SxXVukfOeJsT5q4vyoRN7EJW-H5Q0/s320/DSC01173.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlt6GIdz3dX3DfbBiqLkXB8onThG_DMBe-JR1gpxKwb1bgzfMcjinI__dkQRacMj0HaShL5CjTTaWqBfxC382cie-Gmua2e3a2xHj6JXWcym5ybYMI8jW5Hkr9QluFOtVP_gUiMlcT4uY/s1600/DSC01061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprzI_7zrkNhvPly2bOS5Fauolcmn7gPKzkH5aZAl8EtNYJwdFwLxl4C6AjN9ng55nXuaGBZy7Sarvyrp69ZO_sHlH5jSoklP0I1IsAxzdce5tHCnsQPvKRTEUrdVGhJUYRHcU4LafvLs/s1600/DSC01195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjprzI_7zrkNhvPly2bOS5Fauolcmn7gPKzkH5aZAl8EtNYJwdFwLxl4C6AjN9ng55nXuaGBZy7Sarvyrp69ZO_sHlH5jSoklP0I1IsAxzdce5tHCnsQPvKRTEUrdVGhJUYRHcU4LafvLs/s320/DSC01195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The day was subdued and many times we would load back in the min-van and reflect on what happened 67 years ago. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I had one more stop on my trip, Monet’s gardens. Remember from my <a href="http://anniemarek.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-love-paris-in-springtime.html">Easter blog</a> that I was able to see Monet’s Water Liles series, well now I was able to go to his water lily pond. Art came to life before my eyes and I was filled with inspiration.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHphtJbMt2-AN5FSI6z0FzztYjGclIWo7_8v0iLU0boavhxI6rGmOXqOjNPwfU_6cjSFgYISt8opdy4T_2qMQISkzYmORjB_qPjPhCAYCi6QfcvPJVAnZLuDLbovLaVJwVhQURE-qeJaY/s1600/DSC01240.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHphtJbMt2-AN5FSI6z0FzztYjGclIWo7_8v0iLU0boavhxI6rGmOXqOjNPwfU_6cjSFgYISt8opdy4T_2qMQISkzYmORjB_qPjPhCAYCi6QfcvPJVAnZLuDLbovLaVJwVhQURE-qeJaY/s640/DSC01240.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you weren't able to tell by the length of this post, Normany is an amazing place and I'm glad I was able to see it!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">See you later!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">PS - Click <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Normandy02?authkey=Gv1sRgCNqMjdnjloOyIg">HERE</a> to see all my pics.</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-35459441229117257022011-05-30T19:40:00.003+02:002011-05-30T19:52:54.097+02:00My Belgian Birthday<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All I wanted for my bday was: Waffles, Chocolate, Beer, Fries, Music, Sun, and to celebrate with FRIENDS</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Yesterday was my birthday and Brussels organized a huge weekend festival for me: The Jazz Marathon. There was over 100 free concerts in the public squares outdoors and inside clubs across the city. Ok, maybe it wasn’t all for me, but it was perfect way to spend my birthday.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6XsxDFDBM3vdNZ48tXR0qXwIGynsSko4c02B5CEwv2UI_RGSwndAYnETOsGyUwcIkiwBNJ9iV-TQn5LMf-WVk_D_xNgqHoUJzqIeM2wBdGEF1t65RUhwJ5Y7zsHD1qzLhPrfPck6-ag/s1600/DSC00875.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX6XsxDFDBM3vdNZ48tXR0qXwIGynsSko4c02B5CEwv2UI_RGSwndAYnETOsGyUwcIkiwBNJ9iV-TQn5LMf-WVk_D_xNgqHoUJzqIeM2wBdGEF1t65RUhwJ5Y7zsHD1qzLhPrfPck6-ag/s320/DSC00875.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My birthday always falls on/near the Memorial Day holiday weekend so I’ve gotten used to celebrating it over a few days. Now Belgium does not celebrate Memorial Day, but I was still able to spread the celebration across Saturday and Sunday to make it last longer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday evening I met a group at one of the outdoor squares for the Jazz Marathon. We were so close to the Marcolini chocolcate shop I had to stop in and get some. Marcolini is said to be one of the best chocolate shops in the world and it's located right in Brussels! Unfortunately the prices are not really student-budget friendly so I hadn't been there before. If you're wondering, normal sized chocolate bars run about 9€ ($14)! So this definitely was just going to be a little tasting, we got 5 little pieces of chocolate (each about the size of a key on the computer) for 2.70€ ($4). My choice was dark chocolate with citron (lemon) which is my new favorite.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwnceyy4rq1y09ReK6B9fzvULQ-lhxQ6xTvk4xShCwCjfqPDLE3Szxpnb1vQCAZFOQG403IiSYrOiyEL2WWpb-6mT8CrABP-KSE8agtxB-3cfGe-vN7isPzt6oMApvBa_R3rs7NsQStw/s1600/DSC00852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwnceyy4rq1y09ReK6B9fzvULQ-lhxQ6xTvk4xShCwCjfqPDLE3Szxpnb1vQCAZFOQG403IiSYrOiyEL2WWpb-6mT8CrABP-KSE8agtxB-3cfGe-vN7isPzt6oMApvBa_R3rs7NsQStw/s320/DSC00852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the chocolates, we headed to another square where the band did Michael Jackson songs! It was such a fun night singing to his 70s and 80s hits and listening to the group's French monologues between each song.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFsvaPWEzuR_DkivJJX_njMzrQu2G2suqetQMsTRw3CP50cfNqvinHbzBU6AzU2Z0Xbk_byFOwqCLEKBpmYFhndPE5HEAbYOt70fKNw3C7DBK5cgR2K5VTfQGflKeilG3ofDzhPF5Eds/s1600/DSC00879.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyFsvaPWEzuR_DkivJJX_njMzrQu2G2suqetQMsTRw3CP50cfNqvinHbzBU6AzU2Z0Xbk_byFOwqCLEKBpmYFhndPE5HEAbYOt70fKNw3C7DBK5cgR2K5VTfQGflKeilG3ofDzhPF5Eds/s320/DSC00879.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the way back to the train station we stopped at a waffle shop and had a Brussels waffle. The Brussels waffle is the same as the Belgian waffles we usually have for breakfast in the USA. (Note: it’s not my favorite that is the Liege waffles with the crystallized sugar inside.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday I was back in Brussels at the big square – Grand Place. We arrive just as the music was starting at 3pm and since the sun was so warm, we just sat there for hours. Sitting there in the sun I had my Belgian beer & fries.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdxJWkHxwRFzme_6eMClYHYzrbPibPUSV6Xje_alXuWS_NBxuM6vOeVAra0B2xdiPUCfO9k7j7P-jaccIXGH2jpq-ZVViBPAj0Bdc9nJPUdmW_RCa8EQFTFHjp-du-dM_wIfRa9bs7hM/s1600/DSC00913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdxJWkHxwRFzme_6eMClYHYzrbPibPUSV6Xje_alXuWS_NBxuM6vOeVAra0B2xdiPUCfO9k7j7P-jaccIXGH2jpq-ZVViBPAj0Bdc9nJPUdmW_RCa8EQFTFHjp-du-dM_wIfRa9bs7hM/s320/DSC00913.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It really was such a nice relaxing weekend and I had a GREAT time with my friends. I’m not sure where I’ll be next year on my bday, but I will always remember my big 31. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But if I do happen to forget where I was, here’s my birthday picture in front of the Manneken Pis (thanks for the idea Grandma Irene!).</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95iFfU8BfnzJX6ZwDPzCTqUucK8KA9qup_xQ_RNYITzelBrf7NJ6V_HgJZcrn0KnkwURBJikJVgcQniIXBgkWbOMYewYcjdxBNTZ4LWyOJC6sosqSNKsXMhrrxhKWPqrpwLdUqYYyBR0/s1600/DSC00893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95iFfU8BfnzJX6ZwDPzCTqUucK8KA9qup_xQ_RNYITzelBrf7NJ6V_HgJZcrn0KnkwURBJikJVgcQniIXBgkWbOMYewYcjdxBNTZ4LWyOJC6sosqSNKsXMhrrxhKWPqrpwLdUqYYyBR0/s320/DSC00893.JPG" width="223" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">See you later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Annie</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">PS. View all the pics online by clicking <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/MyBelgianBirthday?authkey=Gv1sRgCITL1LL345XArwE">HERE</a>.</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-88713763065890958012011-05-14T16:14:00.002+02:002011-05-14T16:16:16.719+02:00I love Paris in the springtime.<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Paris is lovely in the springtime. As you may remember I spent one day there in March and I vowed to return again, well over Easter break I did. I went there with a few classmates and fell in love with the city.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">The temp was 25C (~80F) and there were people out everywhere! The parks and the streets were filled with people. Actually, every place I went to was filled with people. So many people that the queues outside the Louvre and at the Eiffel Tower were hours long. I decided that I didn’t go to Paris to wait in line and I vowed (once again) to return. I think I’ll never go up the Eiffel Tower because when I do, I’ll probably saw now I’ve done it all in Paris and I don’t need to return. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">L</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEkrMUcZJDaNdz_zVMOx6Sj30XoxXHQTHoAsrxX_8EUZ0UrEXScIYtbNv-4_M1E8AbdYnVYxoeNYqHHZ6gPVszOaNYPZZRQeSqTM_hwG0YTdc-poOEpuAZdw-X-xMrKV_htS8ql5HXcU/s1600/DSC00528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYEkrMUcZJDaNdz_zVMOx6Sj30XoxXHQTHoAsrxX_8EUZ0UrEXScIYtbNv-4_M1E8AbdYnVYxoeNYqHHZ6gPVszOaNYPZZRQeSqTM_hwG0YTdc-poOEpuAZdw-X-xMrKV_htS8ql5HXcU/s320/DSC00528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ascii-font-family: Georgia; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">Even though I didn’t do the “big ticket” items I did get around and see the city.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">I went to the Eiffel Tower at night and took a boat tour. (I had a lot of fun playing with my new camera this trip!)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhwx7OLFcLnZZGEqBJNaXrRBFeR4xiLZ6C73aMFHCpsw15c5N_PowxPzHdYiFMmg-0xxjldchujSaUDW9GgHaXMxlIigy5j6xSkUprlqOd9M1BQchPtLBdJFPiPjbplvzwF1rw1fX2wY/s1600/DSC00555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhwx7OLFcLnZZGEqBJNaXrRBFeR4xiLZ6C73aMFHCpsw15c5N_PowxPzHdYiFMmg-0xxjldchujSaUDW9GgHaXMxlIigy5j6xSkUprlqOd9M1BQchPtLBdJFPiPjbplvzwF1rw1fX2wY/s320/DSC00555.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gKn6uH5YaZ2B06oM5fL9g3pubyw6aqJ9sRIxf_R6M683N2FQnL8YtizON0C0Rmxh0eq1ToD57qGgyEvBdWM860jyAFKwvHOzE5I65j_3I1_3RCjnhoynVvKqFE684B3usWKW7DOU4Tk/s1600/DSC00586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9gKn6uH5YaZ2B06oM5fL9g3pubyw6aqJ9sRIxf_R6M683N2FQnL8YtizON0C0Rmxh0eq1ToD57qGgyEvBdWM860jyAFKwvHOzE5I65j_3I1_3RCjnhoynVvKqFE684B3usWKW7DOU4Tk/s640/DSC00586.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">I went to the early Easter mass at Notre Dame and it turned up that it was a special mass for the Boy Scouts. The place was packed and I had to sit on the floor. (I thought of you Katey & Mark!)</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedSkEzCO3olRWo92WGS-Gk97jxHWfCZstfUYK0kPce37V_SAwlhMJN1bkEaGFDYx5OzdIK947SQ76b1troBXYXztwXQRI9v4jBC4afV7jz795qocA5otnhBWx4KfqzjwqXyL5PecEud8/s1600/DSC00629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjedSkEzCO3olRWo92WGS-Gk97jxHWfCZstfUYK0kPce37V_SAwlhMJN1bkEaGFDYx5OzdIK947SQ76b1troBXYXztwXQRI9v4jBC4afV7jz795qocA5otnhBWx4KfqzjwqXyL5PecEud8/s320/DSC00629.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzer1MqIRwxq8fjTELbghnZYMCaoC8xOaU5AP-9W37fsiN5v9OdpSJ0ujYxLQPQ2nHKvPIqG635jESgymclha3BQV8XYJDyyi15DVBGH8avokdyy-Nlx7mb8_RGa-Jqrjjy-Dl92nCQw/s1600/DSC00651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzer1MqIRwxq8fjTELbghnZYMCaoC8xOaU5AP-9W37fsiN5v9OdpSJ0ujYxLQPQ2nHKvPIqG635jESgymclha3BQV8XYJDyyi15DVBGH8avokdyy-Nlx7mb8_RGa-Jqrjjy-Dl92nCQw/s320/DSC00651.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">An alumnus from last year’s class and fellow American invited us over for Easter brunch – THANKS AGAIN ROB (I’m so upset I forgot to take a pic of the event!). The menu was a mix of the best of USA, France & Belgium: French toast, crepes, mimosas, jello shots, can o’ cheese and chocolate fondue. Delicious!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similar to my new Thanksgiving Tequilla tradition - I think I will have to make Easter jello shots next year. I wonder if mom still has those jello egg molds?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;"></span><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%;">After brunch we took a hike up to the </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Sacré Cœur for amazing views of the city. We found ourselves in a swarm of people which was far worse than being at the mall on a Saturday afternoon!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ10RSxIgzxLM5Nl840ofHrTF42i4_iqgM6ROEbBny9x5JcihQBGNFf4n7vabypEvS5M5vJFU9UkVI0KhVJ-ywo1MBzBb-AwYNTGZR8Dbkc_sjlf3rJP7KAEpnZht-oJyo7pZesIqrmk/s1600/DSC00678.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJ10RSxIgzxLM5Nl840ofHrTF42i4_iqgM6ROEbBny9x5JcihQBGNFf4n7vabypEvS5M5vJFU9UkVI0KhVJ-ywo1MBzBb-AwYNTGZR8Dbkc_sjlf3rJP7KAEpnZht-oJyo7pZesIqrmk/s320/DSC00678.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Later that night a few of us went to Bar Hemingway at the Ritz. This small bar was a hang of Hemingways and was named after him. To say this place was exclusive is an understatement; I’m surprised they didn’t kick us out. Cocktails here ranged from expensive to really expensive to extremely expensive (one was 500</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">€</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> = $750). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We each ordered one drink and took about 3 hours to drink it, just to get our money’s worth!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drinks for ladies come with a rose I guess Hemingway sure knew how to treat a woman.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKkgCONAi0PI4AHYU1H6AKWaxdP2y2HWGYuuWfrfxanGMJ0tr6G10PA8LwvuQQPJZZmB5d3qRRzu4riTm3i7vzumpjMaQB5naN5JgHkTM1M3IdnhnxaEnnhQk4Oy6RiczUk6iBD6QuUY/s1600/DSC00715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKkgCONAi0PI4AHYU1H6AKWaxdP2y2HWGYuuWfrfxanGMJ0tr6G10PA8LwvuQQPJZZmB5d3qRRzu4riTm3i7vzumpjMaQB5naN5JgHkTM1M3IdnhnxaEnnhQk4Oy6RiczUk6iBD6QuUY/s320/DSC00715.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This brings me to my last day in Paris. Easter Monday is a holiday and I found out too late that the museum I really wanted (d’Orsay) was closed but we found l’Orangerie open that’s home to Monet’s water lilies collection. I was shocked to discover that these paintings are huge and so much more beautiful than the pics in a book.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaPSHY8Fq6ObfOJG78i7dXW_0g7cThZwswcBJ0uN3N6lA-pdlPXQImzDy61bSMwFBbCM48DDA-wYzKD4g0VDz0e6NxxS7aq7oGzisJsEnPoLZYQ4I-OwRpFPhf9urWnmnVqTWlhWAS90/s1600/DSC00726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFaPSHY8Fq6ObfOJG78i7dXW_0g7cThZwswcBJ0uN3N6lA-pdlPXQImzDy61bSMwFBbCM48DDA-wYzKD4g0VDz0e6NxxS7aq7oGzisJsEnPoLZYQ4I-OwRpFPhf9urWnmnVqTWlhWAS90/s320/DSC00726.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Before I left Paris I set out to find the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Statue</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> of <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Liberty</span> Replica…or the Statue of Liberty. It was an item marked on my tourist map and I wanted to see it for myself. Here it is!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3k7TyI04WCP5cNWRSEt8_GpflYwnvpq4wCz7DMuz4f5lz8hgUp1GBHPCXWuuKBvlwptXoU-QpNSOMfrasX3gIrCA0UoYkfV08Rh7OvVlRzGhYaJWn9rMQBV35iIZed6t839dv3Cn9bQ/s1600/DSC00790.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3k7TyI04WCP5cNWRSEt8_GpflYwnvpq4wCz7DMuz4f5lz8hgUp1GBHPCXWuuKBvlwptXoU-QpNSOMfrasX3gIrCA0UoYkfV08Rh7OvVlRzGhYaJWn9rMQBV35iIZed6t839dv3Cn9bQ/s320/DSC00790.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s 1/5<sup>th</sup> the size of the original and faces her bigger sister to the west in NYC.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">So these are my highlights from Easter in Paris 2011. I apologize that this post is longer than normal, but as you can see there is just so much to do in Paris. The first time I visited the City of Lights it was for 1 day, this time it was for 3 days, next time I think I’ll need to spend a week there. Hopefully I can fit that in before the end of the school year!</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Au revoir!</span><br />
-<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 11pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-68528095450065485902011-05-01T14:50:00.000+02:002011-05-01T14:50:10.600+02:00Home sweet home<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well it’s about time I show you my little studio. While I wanted to show it to you months ago, I never quite got around to it. There are many reasons you haven’t seen it before, either I was too busy with school, off travelling somewhere, or my place was just a mess. Yesterday when I was grocery shopping I picked up a 6 pack of TP and I realized, this may be my last purchase of TP in Leuven. Who knew TP would bring on so many memories?!?!?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So there’s no time like now to share with you pics from the place I have called home for the past 8 months.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">When first arrived in Leuven I walked around with a classmate for 2 days looking at studios. There were some that were so small I don't know if an adult would fit and some were so unpractical with a shower in the kitchen. My most favorite one though was one we never saw. We saw the Mt Everest stairway and said, no not worth it. After all those, I found this stuido: ground floor, near shopping, grocery and laundry.</span><br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oG2BEUZH904/Tb1REwF-ENI/AAAAAAAAFUg/sbAf6f2o-l8/s1600/DSC00798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oG2BEUZH904/Tb1REwF-ENI/AAAAAAAAFUg/sbAf6f2o-l8/s320/DSC00798.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div><div align="center"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Bedroom area</span></em><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbNnRDFIPxQ/Tb1RGwMUujI/AAAAAAAAFUk/XLOoeUqZ280/s1600/DSC00800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LbNnRDFIPxQ/Tb1RGwMUujI/AAAAAAAAFUk/XLOoeUqZ280/s320/DSC00800.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Fridge, office and dining area</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yMBAKDntSbk/Tb1RItAhueI/AAAAAAAAFUo/BUdpfrtGv9I/s1600/DSC00803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="179" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yMBAKDntSbk/Tb1RItAhueI/AAAAAAAAFUo/BUdpfrtGv9I/s320/DSC00803.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Living area</span> </em></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYiBiyh50J4/Tb1RJwdAPhI/AAAAAAAAFUs/2ANkIR77A24/s1600/DSC00804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="177" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OYiBiyh50J4/Tb1RJwdAPhI/AAAAAAAAFUs/2ANkIR77A24/s320/DSC00804.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>Kitchen area with bathroom door open</em></span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">As you can see it's not that big and the kitchen is essentially in a pass through to the bathroom. But it's home. Some weeks I was on campus from breakfast through dinner so I really didn't need much more than this. There are only 2 things I really wished I had - an oven and a freezer. But if you can find that in a studio in Leuven you're lucky. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">My large things were provided by my landlord - bed, closet, desk, & table. And I was able to buy many things from last years student's (lamps, storage drawers, ironing board). Everything else was purchased in 2 mega trips to Ikea.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And that's it, this is my home. While I do love it, I definately hope my next place is bigger and has interior walls. :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Happy Sunday everyone! See you later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-49873665647486125412011-03-30T11:53:00.000+02:002011-03-30T11:53:45.319+02:00Dear Auntie Annie<em>I received the email below from my niece and I wanted to share it with you (with my sister's permission of course). This year at school has been filled with so many great people, experiences, and places to visit - but I do miss my family & friends back home. I miss the holiday gathers, the weddings, and seeing the new babies still wrinkly. Abby was just a tiny peanut when I left but she'll already be walking by the time I return home. A year may be a short time for me, but for her - it's an entire lifetime! And while email is great and skype is fantastic, it will never replace a hug! So watch out little Abby, I've been saving up hugs for you and when I see you again I'm not letting you go! </em>;-)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">March 29, 2011</div><br />
<br />
Dear Auntie Annie,<br />
<br />
It’s me – your niece Abby!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n6sW1Ndu93MmCq1aFUHrFRtgov4PZWv5xEfQAyJDyKS_lQfTIiXoOq6wI_8CCZ3dC_MueKWQ283PuDhxPv2Qi8NsV_eLg7EA_ELBHEzoOlNoX6u-_Eo4xd2hS-m6JH59BWLwMFZEDi8/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7n6sW1Ndu93MmCq1aFUHrFRtgov4PZWv5xEfQAyJDyKS_lQfTIiXoOq6wI_8CCZ3dC_MueKWQ283PuDhxPv2Qi8NsV_eLg7EA_ELBHEzoOlNoX6u-_Eo4xd2hS-m6JH59BWLwMFZEDi8/s200/1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
I’m almost 9 months now and thought I’d dictate a letter to you. I like to Skype with you, but I’m big enough to send you a letter too. Don’t worry, mommy knows how to understand “daa-daa-da, baa-aaaaa-aaah, ahooooo, etc.” and write it below. <br />
<br />
I’m so proud of you, with your hard studying and fun adventures in Europe. Going back to school after being in the working world must be a tough adjustment, but it seems like you have done quite well. Do you get report cards? If you do, I bet they look really good and deserving to be placed on the front of the refrigerator! <br />
<br />
We look at all your pictures of the places you’ve been so far – touring Belgium, all over Italy, exploring Barcelona and quickie Paris. Mommy says she has seen movies and looked at magazines and books with these places, but you are actually there! It must be so wonderful to be so close to so many interesting places. In less time it takes daddy to drive to Omaha to see my grandma and grandpa Zadina, you can hope on a train and go on a new adventure to a historic European city. Don’t get me wrong, driving past corn fields in Iowa is fun, but I bet the scenery from your train is far more interesting! <br />
<br />
You left Minnesota when I was a little baby last August. Thank goodness for technology and Skype! It sometimes feels that you are so close - still at home in South Saint Paul. Because of you, I love to look at the computer and “type”. Mommy says before computers people hand-wrote letters on paper, took them to the post office and they were delivered to you. Good thing we have Skype and email because we have not had much luck with the Belgium post! But even though we see you on the computer and email you, we really miss you. It’s the times when we all get together, like Christmas and Easter, when we miss you the most. <br />
<br />
I’ve been keeping busy while you have been gone. Mommy takes me to swimming lessons once a week. So far, all I can do is float with some help, but I guess that is a good thing! I like to splash around and practice in the bathtub at night.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqqar-ZzYa0Ba9bCfr1s_OyYuCpzlqWekVN-6lmnR4gsgtMhdkz1175riZmM_OOBu6rz-l1gIPY5NngZrS_EbFoswjivwM7gAL-eS8PuiqA2c5cbz4HI87Ot47V17jOo8JYUq3E8Kc3I/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdqqar-ZzYa0Ba9bCfr1s_OyYuCpzlqWekVN-6lmnR4gsgtMhdkz1175riZmM_OOBu6rz-l1gIPY5NngZrS_EbFoswjivwM7gAL-eS8PuiqA2c5cbz4HI87Ot47V17jOo8JYUq3E8Kc3I/s200/2.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />
I also go to Early Family Childhood Education classes at school. We learn songs and play with other kids. I like to watch the other kids and talk to them. <br />
<br />
I also love to play and watch cousin Felix – he always makes me laugh! He came over to play one Saturday and I let him use my high chair for lunch. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmneMA7tNfg6wZ1EoqpM1deLDLJXbHPJdVHvIJXqBjJ8hIa8drE8AKV-1rYFTSTe2ZM0v_7PxRk_Jc-hD9c7DQme5lYO7mCBWBWcrmjGbD_LkXINyPAIABYT4uQO9H9TQY1BkEsp-1UU/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitmneMA7tNfg6wZ1EoqpM1deLDLJXbHPJdVHvIJXqBjJ8hIa8drE8AKV-1rYFTSTe2ZM0v_7PxRk_Jc-hD9c7DQme5lYO7mCBWBWcrmjGbD_LkXINyPAIABYT4uQO9H9TQY1BkEsp-1UU/s200/3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
Other times I just play around at home. My new favorite thing is to roll around and hide under the coffee table. No crawling yet, but I’ll work on it for you.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2-U0w9XqEp2YkXxd16CmkxWwhzhWChHkuLOr2EBpRoVyeCYGbPqjaBHEhvPza5A194LgU_i0SMXZKuzwqc-obrgtQRjXxqWkzn9KPe8j_H6fuu_btGeaBc-5fmdONS8SwNY5VM3MHEI/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2-U0w9XqEp2YkXxd16CmkxWwhzhWChHkuLOr2EBpRoVyeCYGbPqjaBHEhvPza5A194LgU_i0SMXZKuzwqc-obrgtQRjXxqWkzn9KPe8j_H6fuu_btGeaBc-5fmdONS8SwNY5VM3MHEI/s200/4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
That’s about it for now. It’s getting to be my bedtime soon. I love you very much and look forward to Skyping with you again soon!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLctussebv5QbNF4B2xxxWXM2Sohce-uT-_aecd4zFnblzC83bZ2S_bC52Kppw-uC8sBqaXELOnBoaw0YlljbhKORQLHUjSfu80WNZsH-6YevNYBwgiZmAOi6pbE7fbcweFnHcktLCi10/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" r6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLctussebv5QbNF4B2xxxWXM2Sohce-uT-_aecd4zFnblzC83bZ2S_bC52Kppw-uC8sBqaXELOnBoaw0YlljbhKORQLHUjSfu80WNZsH-6YevNYBwgiZmAOi6pbE7fbcweFnHcktLCi10/s200/5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Lots of love and kisses,<br />
Abby<br />
<br />
P.S. Mommy says hello and misses you too.Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-58888692136607282552011-03-29T08:06:00.000+02:002011-03-29T08:06:27.159+02:00~Here comes the sun, do do do do~Well spring has arrived in Leuven! This Sunday we started “summer time” (aka. daylight savings), the flowers are blooming, people are wearing shorts and sunglasses, and most importantly the SUN is back.<br />
<br />
This new season reminds me how long I’ve been here and how quickly time has passed. I arrived at the end of summer and went through all of autumn and winter. Now each season was lovely, but I do think spring might be my favorite. People are again out in the parks and everyone seems to be smiling! And with temps in the mid-teens (Celsius) you’d be smiling too.<br />
<br />
In my spring adventures, I have started jogging and I'm exploring the nooks and crannies of Leuven on foot. Have you ever been on a run, seen something in the far horizon and decided to reach it? Or have you seen a sign with an arrow and decided to check it out? Well I have and now I can in Leuven. Unfortunately I don’t take my camera with me on my jogs, but I’ve discovered some pretty great areas in and around Leuven. One of these days I’ll walk my runs and take pics of the quaint residential area in Heverlee, the tiny city park with the little bridge, or the big statue of Mary atop the hill at the Abby. My adventures lead me down some curvy and windy roads and I sometimes get a bit “lost”. But there’s not too much to worry about, there’s always a sign that points me pack to Leuven.<br />
<br />
One of my most favorite spring locations is the botanical gardens. It’s actually quite close to my place and it's a perfect place for a cool down walk. This time of year, there are many flowers in bloom with many more just starting to sprout up from the ground. I’m sure this place will be a favorite in the months to come.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/SpringHasSprung?authkey=Gv1sRgCLT6sebSyqKB1gE"><img border="0" height="213" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r64e1CapQGA/TZD0apAdyJI/AAAAAAAAEcY/uiiZAvCjMuY/s320/DSC00171.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you click on the pic above, I've started a folder dedicated to spring (so far it’s just the gardens) but I’ll be adding to it over the next few weeks. If you’re still stuck in winter (hello to my family & friends in Minnesota and to cousin Lori & Jon in Alaska!) – these are dedicated to you!<br />
<br />
See you later!<br />
-AnnieAnniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-34880730455343759062011-03-14T17:12:00.002+01:002011-03-14T18:46:04.015+01:00A day in Pairee is not enough.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Paris is less than 4 hours from Leuven by car and less than 2 hours away by super-fast train. Wow! Back in Minneapolis/St. Paul, I can’t even get to Chicago in that time. So why did it take me over 6 months to get to Paris??? I’m not sure if I remember all my reason why but I don’t have to worry about that anymore. That’s because last Friday - I went to Paris! :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I was only in the city for the day…actually it was less than 10 hours…but it was lovely. I was able to see some of the sights and I know what I definitely want to do when I go back. The pics may not show it so well, but the weather was nice – it was about 12C (55F) with cloudy skies that would sporadically open up with the warm sun. Ahhhh… Click on the pic below to link to my album.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/ADayInPairee?authkey=Gv1sRgCIb4ya_1wZ-LIQ"><img border="0" height="320" q6="true" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-h6sjLPupnOQ/TX47JFQzKbI/AAAAAAAAES4/dcyOQmdM220/s320/DSC00071.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I know you're thinking it - no, one day in Paris is not enough, but I’ve got that covered. I’m headed back for our 3-day weekend over Easter. On the must do list is…Eiffel Tower at night, the Musee d’Orsay that’s overfilled with Impressionism paintings, and a Bike/Segway/Double-decker bus tour so I can see much much more of the city.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’ll leave you with my favorite French phrase of the day…I was at the tourist information center and a woman from Jersey was in front of me. Jersey stated to the lady behind the counter, "I heard the Eiffel Tower is less crowded at night. Is that was true?” The lady replied, in the most perfect French accent, “Madame, there is only one La Tour Eiffel in the world. It is <strong><em>always </em></strong>busy.”</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, I'll leave you with that. As I'm sure you guessed, the super busy weeks at school are gone and we're now back to normal with our meter just set to busy. I'll be back to blogging, and keeping you up-to-date on this crazy adventure...only 6 months left.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">See you later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-10288122362399314132011-02-24T19:44:00.000+01:002011-02-24T19:44:03.446+01:00Study break<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">For all those concerned out there - yes, I'm doing ok. Sorry I haven't blogged, emailed, skyped, called, sent a letter in a while but school's been taking up all of my free time. Every day (yes, 7 days a week) I'm at campus by 9am and I stay until stomach says it's time for dinner. Some nights that's 6pm and some nights that's later, much, much later. And I'm afraid it's not getting any easier these next few weeks, take a look at my next week calendar below... </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOIk9PHLp4ydfrhViLu4uXt7KmVIp3YBg1SOTO4-vUnGr1AMI5hG232ZyNvG1ZCxiKAnegYE7mudhDhRcOoIGXwpndvIjWATwoXXn8a-q_Rf66dJZGik5fpoABWzsM47iKb5Dtklo7Qs/s1600/yowza.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOIk9PHLp4ydfrhViLu4uXt7KmVIp3YBg1SOTO4-vUnGr1AMI5hG232ZyNvG1ZCxiKAnegYE7mudhDhRcOoIGXwpndvIjWATwoXXn8a-q_Rf66dJZGik5fpoABWzsM47iKb5Dtklo7Qs/s640/yowza.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">FYI: "DL" = Deadline. And yes, that's right. I have 2 large papers and 2 large presentations due next week on top of a full week of class. YOWZA is right!!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So that all said, I won't be blogging for a bit. This is just a little study break for me letting you know I'm ok and I'll get back to you soon!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Take care and I miss all of you!! See you soon!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-5812077520965710102011-01-20T23:21:00.000+01:002011-01-20T23:21:31.654+01:00La Bella Italia!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Winter break (#3/3)</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well here it is. My final post from my wonderful winter break is…drumroll please…ITALY!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Five classmates and I headed to Italy to spend the first week of winter break, Dec 20 – 27. We started in Rome, but immediately travel to Florence including a trip to Pisa and Sienna, and then returned to Rome for Christmas.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="228" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TTH6MQWkIOI/AAAAAAAADvk/cIgwlmyp56Y/s320/untitled.bmp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><em></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It was a really great trip and I enjoyed part of Italy I saw – how many places can you say that about?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Impressions of Florence – a dreamy city. Everywhere you look there are beautiful buildings with al fresco paintings, statues of Roman gods, ornate fountains, museums and churches </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">that are breathtaking and when looking over the city you see a sea of red roofs.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TRi2tuQdruI/AAAAAAAAC9g/aIMm_vMzkXE/s320/PC220077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Pretty Pisa – we didn’t spend much time here, our mission was to see the famous Leaning Tower. Mission completed.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TRi3B3XQvdI/AAAAAAAADAY/bf3pUSDh7xE/s320/PC220122.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Siena – a different Italy. Sienna is a medieval town and it was so unlike every other part of Italy we saw on this trip. My highlights of the city were the enormous piazza and the inside & out candy-stripped Duomo (cathedral).</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TRi3qBggbfI/AAAAAAAADGE/l9K_QycZihg/s320/PC230221.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Roma! I told my family that since I wouldn’t be coming home for Christmas, I would spend it with the Pope instead. We started with a tour of the Vatican which left me speechless, it really is overwhelming. I have never been in a place that has such wonderful rich history that continues to be written. I am Catholic and I was so excited when we were able to get into St. Peter’s Basilica for midnight mass on Christmas Eve and I was happy again to return to the square for the noon Christmas Day blessing.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TRi40D7CHuI/AAAAAAAADQU/XKtAFycoxz8/s320/PC240454.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While in Rome we also visited many Roman ruin sites (when in Rome!), saw the famous Tivoli fountain, the Colosseum and oh so much more. Rome itself is a living museum and everywhere you I’d see something and wonder “What’s that?” but my tourist map failed me. (Maybe next time I should travel with a Rick Steve’s book?)</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TRi5bRpIX0I/AAAAAAAADWM/xHMhV5e7fdA/s320/PC260582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One last note on Italy, the pastries, food, coffee, and wine is all amazing. I can’t do it justice by explaining it here, so I won’t even try. You just must go there and taste for yourself. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdmcGHzdNQps1WgVs-j1r2rAXF2q3rLc5axOP3wL_ow182iLsPb6x_Ipg2pMWLnnh2OgFmYau6oESe5JPqBs_somw4R4okVNpWgykgazfD1EnaLywcR102nFx88LP5piPNtW8wpjSWD0U/s320/food.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ciao!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">And as always, click on any pic or the link below for all 447 pics I took! </span><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Italy?authkey=Gv1sRgCOWg1ar58uPmsgE</a>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-8256853261720831122011-01-11T13:56:00.000+01:002011-01-11T13:56:05.624+01:00Drinking the kool-aid.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>(Winter break email #2/3)</em></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I met my friend Jill, from the USA, in Brussels on Dec 28. Jill and I have known each other since 2006 when we were selected to be part of the same Rotary GSE (Group Study Exchange) team to Germany. In those past 4 years we have had many traveling adventures together, so when she said she’d visit me where ever I was – I had no doubts. Our days GSE-ing still have so many great memories and so we started off this latest adventure by visiting a dear Rotarian friend we meet back in 2006, Walter.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Kibo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMK4uYfNju_PmwE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSsz1NA6sWI/AAAAAAAADpo/3KOrAUDHMvw/s320/0.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Me & Jill at the Starbucks (her fav) at BRU airport</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Walter is from Kircheimbolanden (Kibo), a small town in Germany “near” Frankfurt (1 hour by train). Kibo is a gem of a town that most tourists don’t think to visit since the train doesn’t pass through. But that’s their loss. Walter waited for us at the train station and greeted us with a large pretzel (so much better than flowers). Over the next 2 days, Walter gave us the tour of the town and we revisited some of the same places from years ago and he took us to some new sites.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Kibo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMK4uYfNju_PmwE"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSsz3x6wShI/AAAAAAAADp8/A0b2VBhp648/s320/4.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Walter gave us a pretzel at the train station</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Walter indulged our every need of Kibo. He borrowed the key for the city (literally!) so we were able to walk atop the city wall. We also visited the mountain top, but like last time, the weather kept us from seeing the view. And he even took us for schnitzel and spatzle after I stated my craving.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Kibo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMK4uYfNju_PmwE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSs1KXvoA9I/AAAAAAAADqQ/tCwsjJrjZlM/s320/9.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Don't drool on your keyboard!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We had a really great time, but my most favorite was fondue-ing at the Litchi’s. Walter and his wife Rosemary invited us over for an evening of delicious cheese, wonderful wine and home-baked Christmas cookies. But the food was nothing compared to the company. It was just so fantastic to sit around a table with Walter, Rosemary and Jill, and relive memories from years ago, debrief on the past 4 years, and discuss current situations with us and around the world.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TStFzcBuRkI/AAAAAAAADr4/3bS0laRmzhU/s1600/aphoto+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TStFzcBuRkI/AAAAAAAADr4/3bS0laRmzhU/s320/aphoto+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">The fondue caldron</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am so thankful for the GSE experience years ago that brought us all together and entwined our lives. I don’t know when the next time we will intersect again, but I’m looking forward to it! As my friend Greg says, I drink the Rotary kool-aid and I have a kool-aid smile. :-)</span><br />
<br />
THANK YOU WALTER AND ROSEMARY FOR SHARING YOUR KIBO WITH US!<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later,</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Annie</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Click on any of the pics above or the link below to see all pics from Kibo</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Kibo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMK4uYfNju_PmwE">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Kibo?authkey=Gv1sRgCMK4uYfNju_PmwE</a></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-20131521985771914662011-01-09T02:03:00.000+01:002011-01-09T02:03:04.710+01:00Winter break is officially over.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m writting this while sitting at the airport waiting for my flight back to Brussels (I'll post it after I return to Leuven, where I don't have to pay for the 'net). It was a great three weeks off! I’m sure your just itching to hear about my experiences and I’m itching to tell you. I’ll start with my most recent adventures since it’s the most fresh in my mind…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’re not familiar with the weather in Belgium for the winter months let me shed some “light”. It’s either: cloudy, partly cloudy, overcast, with rain or snow but always grey. Are you surprised that my only requirement for winter break was to find the SUN?! I found it in Barcalona.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my friends, Jill, came over from the USA and we spent 8-long days in Barcelona. That is just the right time to enjoy the city, see everything you want and still feel like you had a relaxing vacation. After 4 months of classes, I needed some R&R. We had a great time. We walked around the city visiting museums, churches and parks. I didn’t realize that Barca was home to so many artists, we found: Picasso, Gaudi, Dali, and Degas to name a few. Good thing we weren't allowed to take pics inside many of these museums, since my blog is rated G for all audiences.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSgS0LSWbxI/AAAAAAAADi0/MRinf1NtZOk/s320/P1050218.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Me & Jill, 2 Americans outside the royal palace where King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella greeted Columbus after he returned from discovering the new world (aka. America).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With days filled of visiting museums we needed a little different break in our culture so we went to a FC Barcelona football game (soccer). The Barca stadium is the 3rd largest in the world seating almost 99,000 fans. It was impressive but also surprising to find out that there is no alcohol served inside. It’s so common back in Minnesota to have a beer at the Vikings or Twins games – but not there. After a second thought, it’s probably a good idea that 99,000 fans don't have access to liquor. We can only guess what that much excitment fueled by mood-enhancing beverages would look like.</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSgQdqcVfbI/AAAAAAAADcI/9Irtdydzgss/s320/P1020078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Those dots are people...not ants!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">During our 8 days, we also took 2 day trips, the first time one was to visit Monserrat – a monestary on top a huge mountain that Rick Steve’s recommends*. We took a cable car up to the Monestary and from there a funicular up to the (almost) top of the mountain. We spent the good part of a day up there walking around, looking at the views and talking. It was breathtaking – the views and the heights! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">*If you don’t know I’m a huge fan of the Rick Steve’s travel books. He’s never steered me wrong and if you’re travelling soon I highly recommend picking up one of his books.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSgR8VZGw8I/AAAAAAAADgk/LJk9AFwRPRs/s320/P1040170.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">The monestary is on the left, and I'm on the right. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Our second day trip was going to be visiting Figures and Cadaques to see the Dali museum and home. We made it to Figures but lost our way back to the bus station and missed the bus to Cadaques. Since that was going to be our chance to visit the Mediterranean Sea, we decided to head back to Barca and find the beaches there. And boy did we find the beaches, it was long and lovely, the water was cold and salty, and we had a great time.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you're counting...since arriving in August, I’ve visited 6 countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Italy, & Spain) and touched 2 seas (North & Mediterranean). Taking the whole of Europe, I know that’s not that impressive but I’m optimistic these next 8+ months I’ll be able to multiply those numbers. Besides all the places to visit, I’ve got friends I want to visit. So if you’re out there reading this – be warned. I’ll find you yet! :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Take care and see you soon!</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">PS - To see all my pics from Spain, click on any of the pics above or the address below: <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Espana?authkey=Gv1sRgCNf_2_mHvLevzQE"><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSgTHkv_LQI/AAAAAAAADjw/2uSniQ9DlvE/s200/P1060235.JPG" width="200" /></a><img border="0" height="150" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TSgTJvjuOQI/AAAAAAAADj0/__tLNhp5vxQ/s200/P1060236.JPG" width="200" /></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-51797667220262265182010-12-20T07:29:00.000+01:002010-12-20T07:29:57.556+01:00Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWClFHQiPNGpdqwLhgUTJUQA0jrOIJQgBoVw-_F426SkhWqqlun0giUPfIFfacU5z6kdHRxSCI23alePjnpLEyB7hbSuYv96YkwEeHpnkLK10z9qZnVN5cX9PrBd9VK61i5Ao92SH2hpg/s1600/PC080063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWClFHQiPNGpdqwLhgUTJUQA0jrOIJQgBoVw-_F426SkhWqqlun0giUPfIFfacU5z6kdHRxSCI23alePjnpLEyB7hbSuYv96YkwEeHpnkLK10z9qZnVN5cX9PrBd9VK61i5Ao92SH2hpg/s320/PC080063.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After a week of exams, a weekend trip with classmates, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">a social skills retreat for school, and some last minute group this past weekend I am now officially on holiday break. Yippee!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Today, hopefully if the snow keeps away, I'll be boarding a plane with 5 other classmates. We'll be spending an entire week in Italy - 2 days in Florence and 5 days (including Christmas) in Rome. Our must-see list is not too full, just the usual...Vatican museum, Roman ruins, the Pope, etc. We want to keep it as relaxing as possible because we are, after all, on holiday.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">These past few weeks have been crazy. I haven't had a chance to blog and I have 3 running through my head. I'm so sorry wasn't able to do that, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">but since a picture is worth 1,000 words I'll share my photo albums - which are probably much more interesting anyway.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">1. A small </span><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Thanksgiving celebration me and 2 other USA-ers hosted:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Thanksgiving2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOro0bXxk9LrwAE">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Thanksgiving2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOro0bXxk9LrwAE</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. The Holiday spirit - from St. Nick's Day to a Holiday party and then to seeing Santa at the Christmas market:</span><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Thanksgiving2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOro0bXxk9LrwAE"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Thanksgiving2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCOro0bXxk9LrwAE</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. A train trip with 27 other classmates to Luxembourg and Trier, Germany:</span><br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/HappyHolidaysAtVlerick?authkey=Gv1sRgCP2asOi0xfrYPg"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/HappyHolidaysAtVlerick?authkey=Gv1sRgCP2asOi0xfrYPg</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Holidays! I wish you all safe travels and many moments of laughter share with the ones you love! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-53538283989349946012010-11-24T21:46:00.000+01:002010-11-24T21:46:50.538+01:00Groceries<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’ve been thinking about this post for a while and I can’t think of a better day to post it on then on the USA's Thanksgiving Eve. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I really didn’t realize I was so spoiled in the USA. Pre-MBA, I would hop in my car drive to my SuperTarget about 5 miles away where I could find groceries, meat, bread, electronics, and pharmaceuticals, all in 1 place! I would load enough provisions to last me for a month and take up every inch of space on my shelf or in my freezer.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It’s a bit different here in Belgium…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There is a local market on Saturday mornings where there is always a line at the large fresh fruits and vegetables stand. There are also stands at the market selling dried fruits, nuts, chocolate, olives, and bakery items, just to name a few things. I have 2 butchers near my place. I can’t tell which one is better because they both are packed each day with customers! And then there are the bakeries. Oh, the bakeries. I could write an entire blog on them alone. In fact I will. Stay tuned for the bakery post…must do more research. Mmmmm…</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jrOyu9GM0gBCBALoNi6d9Evlx25a0pgrr9CQGsSSkg_I_gM92EL5XxWFqfjXfrmJ6PNx3MWNDZiVGOoHUMiNbJ31MDVbr0pw7ZGtZuFxaMR-lh1WExO7YpzbqLkUd0eMHy9Q8HQAhxA/s1600/241110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4jrOyu9GM0gBCBALoNi6d9Evlx25a0pgrr9CQGsSSkg_I_gM92EL5XxWFqfjXfrmJ6PNx3MWNDZiVGOoHUMiNbJ31MDVbr0pw7ZGtZuFxaMR-lh1WExO7YpzbqLkUd0eMHy9Q8HQAhxA/s320/241110.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">pics from the market</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’re wondering yes, Belgium does have grocery stores. Since I don’t have a car, and I have to get all I buy home with my own two feet I have to go there almost weekly. I bought a fun little cart from a past student and it’s served me very well on my voyages to the grocery store. You’d be surprised how many things it holds!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Inside the grocery store still is a maze to me. I worked in a small grocery store during in my high school years, so I’m too stubborn to ask where something is located. I wonder around the store and make a mental note where things are. Today I found that sugar (granulated and powder) is conveniently kept by the coffee and tea, 3 aisles away from the flour. And the flour is kept in the baking aisle near to the maple syrup – YES! I found real maple syrup here!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANCjDsdtGSyUloW2L7E8QDWzmXE_loVaJTKu4dEA57r1-u9rtgs5H92hhhNEIQEs2G9dWqiv-jWg5JEx8El13i2oSOjATjoAHsgzqTQ2P_1q6HuPfFoBKY4XWJVSXBNqzK3jjrIP0JwI/s1600/PA260018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiANCjDsdtGSyUloW2L7E8QDWzmXE_loVaJTKu4dEA57r1-u9rtgs5H92hhhNEIQEs2G9dWqiv-jWg5JEx8El13i2oSOjATjoAHsgzqTQ2P_1q6HuPfFoBKY4XWJVSXBNqzK3jjrIP0JwI/s320/PA260018.JPG" width="212" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">O'Canada!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So I’m finding my way around the store, but many items are just different here. Vanilla extract for cooking is replaced by vanilla sugar. Bacon is only thin sliced. And there is no comparable peanut butter here. I really didn’t eat a lot of peanut butter pre-Belgium but now I miss it. One of the other USA-ers here reintroduced me to the jelly sandwich (which I don’t think I enjoyed since I was 12) – but it’s missing something, like a big smearing of Skippy. I miss it so much I asked my family to “Please send peanut butter” along with my winter wardrobe in my care package.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are a few Belgium-isities in the grocery stores related to the country’s fondness to chocolate and waffles. </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgsUpZusdh-Qp6LK1CKVUYaZxJrAMeomWHy3sHftpgT_AagsnRmmOK5NH-QNS7eRPbNH3S6gcV8w3dGr-tpjvpKuy1C4sFxAPbZ27yKUmYwqpzWpJUPUkDwExIhlXAhxeKclb2CS0Aqg/s1600/PA260019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgsUpZusdh-Qp6LK1CKVUYaZxJrAMeomWHy3sHftpgT_AagsnRmmOK5NH-QNS7eRPbNH3S6gcV8w3dGr-tpjvpKuy1C4sFxAPbZ27yKUmYwqpzWpJUPUkDwExIhlXAhxeKclb2CS0Aqg/s320/PA260019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Here is a pic of the chocolate section of my small local store. </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And here are some pics of the waffles area. Waffles here are a snack, not breakfast, and come in many shapes, forms and food-ness: ie. the honey filled waffle cracker a friend introduced me to.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1sM4dwTVDE68CPJYrtSeBSz9b4IJm9CE-4jqKCLwxtSt9iZuqMs4pdwStYOHrCiTHwLJlyW0pHKU7snFyji0Exx1He63zUTiHfGVawDJ73K2UA7Cuh-8EHJZh9U_roBsJk0mGR6Hxkk/s1600/2411101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir1sM4dwTVDE68CPJYrtSeBSz9b4IJm9CE-4jqKCLwxtSt9iZuqMs4pdwStYOHrCiTHwLJlyW0pHKU7snFyji0Exx1He63zUTiHfGVawDJ73K2UA7Cuh-8EHJZh9U_roBsJk0mGR6Hxkk/s320/2411101.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">One note on grocery stores is most close at 7/8pm and are not open on Sundays. That just adds a little fun to this student's life. </span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">I hope you enjoyed this post and think about me the next time you're walking through Sam's Club, Rainbow, or my fav SuperTarget! Would you be able to carry everything that's in your cart home? :)</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">And last but not least HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Thank you to everyone out there for letting me be in your life! I have SO much to be grateful for this year: all my family and friends that are constantly supporting me, my new friends in Beligum that have taught me so much, and this year I'm especially grateful to all the Rotary family members who work each day to better the world - thank you for giving me this amazing opportunity.</span></div><div align="left"><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">See you later!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Annie</span></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-77529316937795288992010-11-15T20:19:00.001+01:002010-11-15T20:34:22.044+01:00Rotaract Road Trip: Brugge & Oostende<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I did a quick recap of my vacations (aka. holidays) the past few years and realized that most have been because of Rotary - Chicago, LA, Ireland, Denmark, Germany. It’s pretty much guaranteed that each year I take a Rotary trip to the PreConvention and usually add on my own a pre or post trip on top of it. I go to the PreCons (our cool slang term) because they are loads of fun - there are so many incredible people from all over the world and we form instant friendships through our connection to Rotary!</span><br />
<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvuZFImbGh93l3ku54zf1KAas67KA91NIaQoz9Oc9i0ZqitH9RHWu7w_lgwahEXFz9jeNa-RswqrGQwXMcx8C3c4lg9ZER2EzCSoPZ5pNnMwiVPjsPGOJKHdYCtu784NFqhqWlELaykw/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwvuZFImbGh93l3ku54zf1KAas67KA91NIaQoz9Oc9i0ZqitH9RHWu7w_lgwahEXFz9jeNa-RswqrGQwXMcx8C3c4lg9ZER2EzCSoPZ5pNnMwiVPjsPGOJKHdYCtu784NFqhqWlELaykw/s320/untitled.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Pic from PreCon 2010 in Montreal, Canada</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So it’s no wonder when my Rotaract friend Lars (on the pic above - on the right in the hat) & I headed on a road trip to Brugge this last weekend we had a great time. I don’t think I’ve laughed so much since I arrived in Belgium. But that’s most likely because Lars has known me for years and not just months like my classmates.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you’re not familiar with Brugge…well read about it on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruges">wiki </a>or to see it with a Hollywood flair check out the movie In Bruges (warning – it’s a bit of a dark comedy and rated R). Some of my non-Belgian-familiar friends might be confused ... Brugge = Bruges, Brugge is the Dutch spelling and Bruges is the English.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Anyway, back to the weekend - </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Shortly after arriving we went to the chocolate museum. Yes, I did say the chocolate museum and you can stop drooling now. It was a very educational and interesting place – I learned about the history of chocolate, what makes milk, dark, and white chocolate different, I saw a chocolate Pres Obama and even a chocolate “fountain” Manekin pis that pees chocolate. I couldn't possibly make that up - see below.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUOMsNSMI/AAAAAAAACUY/ZXstrgpQB08/s1600/PB130097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUOMsNSMI/AAAAAAAACUY/ZXstrgpQB08/s320/PB130097.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Saturday we went on a night tour of Brugge in the rain. The rain made it a real Belgisch (yes that’s a word – see photo album link below) experience because it rains nearly every day or at least it looks like it’s about to.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUS69YltI/AAAAAAAACVA/5Zjd_XxqnrM/s1600/PB130109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUS69YltI/AAAAAAAACVA/5Zjd_XxqnrM/s320/PB130109.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Sunday we hopped a canal ride for a new view of the city and the rain actually stayed away. But see, it still looks like it’s about to rain.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUl-UbptI/AAAAAAAACXs/xNDteDtjZkU/s1600/PB140164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUl-UbptI/AAAAAAAACXs/xNDteDtjZkU/s320/PB140164.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">And since I’ve never been to the North Sea and Lars has a car, we went up to the coast to Oostende for a seafood dinner. Still looks like it's going to rain, doesn't it?</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUoNYuooI/AAAAAAAACYE/TuC-2Vi45Tw/s1600/PB140171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TOBUoNYuooI/AAAAAAAACYE/TuC-2Vi45Tw/s320/PB140171.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Surprisingly, we made it the whole day on Sunday with absolutely NO rain. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It really was a great weekend, I had a lot of laughs, spent time with a good friend and for a weekend I forgot about all my classwork waiting for me in Leuven.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Annie</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">PS – You can click <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/BruggeOostende?authkey=Gv1sRgCI3X9Ordkc6cFA">here </a>to see my entire photo album from the wkend.</span></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-7075634510129351512010-11-04T22:30:00.000+01:002010-11-04T22:30:28.862+01:00A Festival of Nations<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Last week we had an all campus celebration of all of countries (over 40!): The Intercultural Event. It was such a great time we’re still talking about it. There was great food, great drinks, awesome singing and dancing by our classmates! The only unfortunate thing about it was there was so much food I didn’t get to try it all! Hopefully the night happens again and I make it over to the tables I missed this time. :)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m sure your wondering what the USA brought to the party. Well after much discussion we decided on s’mores. S’mores are something known to the whole US <em>AND </em>is not from another country. Really what else could we have done? I know my friends in MN are thinking “Why not a hotdish?”, well I don't think that would represent my friends from Texas, Colorado, or NY. And of course there’s other dishes, but each of those (like we US citizens ourselves) comes from someplace else…hamburger, hotdog, chips, etc. So s’mores it was. Did you know that not many people outside of the US knows what a s’more is? We weren’t able to find a suitable fire, so we had to use a microwave but it worked and they were a hit! My favorite comment of the night was, “Leave it to the USA to invent something like this”. Note to all s'more lovers - they are 110% better with Belgian chocolate!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP7Rm_v_x8FbNHG5wAdZg0llJuJg2FJ_NHVy5FKyMzH2IUb1TpIjhxE8IbtsCDPH0nfKAU0ZsAgDT34doHdxXYWbRAXlLlwX0ExNObVWf5MbPxnXndxlIbbbXRukFUMzdN7Vdiu5fT_I/s1600/smores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbP7Rm_v_x8FbNHG5wAdZg0llJuJg2FJ_NHVy5FKyMzH2IUb1TpIjhxE8IbtsCDPH0nfKAU0ZsAgDT34doHdxXYWbRAXlLlwX0ExNObVWf5MbPxnXndxlIbbbXRukFUMzdN7Vdiu5fT_I/s320/smores.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">me with the s'more and James demonstrating how big you have to open your mouth to eat them</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also cooked with a couple of my classmates from Slovakia. I have such a strong Czech ancestry (75%) I guess we could be cousins! So we held a family reunion of the former Czechoslovakia and cooked koblihy (or shishky in Slovakia). We made over 130 and cooked for 7 hours! It was a lot of effort but mostly tons and tons of fun. And as for our results – well the koblihy didn’t turn out as good as grandma’s but for our 1st attempt they were pretty good (besides grandma’s been making them for decades). I was also sharing with the guys that I grew up in Veseli, near a town called New Prague - which has Dozinky days. I also shared with them the Czech phrases I know: “How are you”, “Give me a kiss” and “Lick my butt.”. Can you tell which ones I learned from my grandma and which one from crazy uncles?</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3SoWfkGvQqLrx-ME0UBJyXMWr29LVDOeWGZ4iFhS5s8z_3FbJCBoRfkSbady5C0NEMqcQ8D3cklok0Wwh6B4NK-cJJNTcayFzwSV8YTfeNkcw1WJfjywLesQt4Q41QvKE2is21l0h3c/s1600/marek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3SoWfkGvQqLrx-ME0UBJyXMWr29LVDOeWGZ4iFhS5s8z_3FbJCBoRfkSbady5C0NEMqcQ8D3cklok0Wwh6B4NK-cJJNTcayFzwSV8YTfeNkcw1WJfjywLesQt4Q41QvKE2is21l0h3c/s320/marek.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">Marek (his 1st name!) showing off the koblihy</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So it really was a great time and I can go on and on. But since a pic is worth 1000 words, I'll let them do the speaking!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfV6L5I5kuBIStKPw9T8Sy6RUC9fmJ9XlGuVWRW7ZwOKBcAEnGB3CNmaCTdNvLcS_YEL4jXVLmhbZKVrHcLP1p9lnMTgcoRO1UxfxPvZ631406y07MD4oegxcimyArcnW1ewvk6VyZT0/s1600/music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="213" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfV6L5I5kuBIStKPw9T8Sy6RUC9fmJ9XlGuVWRW7ZwOKBcAEnGB3CNmaCTdNvLcS_YEL4jXVLmhbZKVrHcLP1p9lnMTgcoRO1UxfxPvZ631406y07MD4oegxcimyArcnW1ewvk6VyZT0/s320/music.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">a live music performance</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4AOL6ucAbhcJkRPV-TwZIn8Jc_4zD-Od96NT-9yjg5GPsRM1yCewOhYmZygOkdGFuK6Lp_CG24VgUgnZHf-f8p8Vui8vGGC4ogdrhVvyCkl-GK7cFcbG_h3_eg7VRS0iHXNjvdFvwI/s1600/dcn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJu4AOL6ucAbhcJkRPV-TwZIn8Jc_4zD-Od96NT-9yjg5GPsRM1yCewOhYmZygOkdGFuK6Lp_CG24VgUgnZHf-f8p8Vui8vGGC4ogdrhVvyCkl-GK7cFcbG_h3_eg7VRS0iHXNjvdFvwI/s320/dcn.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">dancing from all over the world</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhyphenhyphen1NepP3EQMzWs6dUeelJPlcgDdti_gVGIkm-4Y9wE3BeKniV6X1Rwrep0re2YFS2HHBxRVMOqwvdUIRFQKvNL4qDW9rv6GW_wnwdQYMXdJ2zn-UdnhJX6gWug48wN5yCpo9JH6xqQ/s1600/peru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirGhyphenhyphen1NepP3EQMzWs6dUeelJPlcgDdti_gVGIkm-4Y9wE3BeKniV6X1Rwrep0re2YFS2HHBxRVMOqwvdUIRFQKvNL4qDW9rv6GW_wnwdQYMXdJ2zn-UdnhJX6gWug48wN5yCpo9JH6xqQ/s320/peru.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">just one of the many many delicious tables</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7epDLRomVxXchv2UTWHWiEbe2p1K9SUDq8-9Aelg9wAZqCGXLinT5VTi029xkaxK0j4fTpyORh_2oNEzcEBpk3S65eD-DHMwVJby-Z10ZZwMgF7TGMruvuvw8iOuT57AYun44Le-VTI/s1600/count.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7epDLRomVxXchv2UTWHWiEbe2p1K9SUDq8-9Aelg9wAZqCGXLinT5VTi029xkaxK0j4fTpyORh_2oNEzcEBpk3S65eD-DHMwVJby-Z10ZZwMgF7TGMruvuvw8iOuT57AYun44Le-VTI/s320/count.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">too </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">many countries to count</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Enjoy your week and see you later!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-A</span></div>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-64829543058962197982010-10-31T22:56:00.000+01:002010-10-31T22:56:25.611+01:00The Great Pumpkin!<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I was a kid Halloween was easily my favorite holiday hands down, but not that I’m an adult it’s one of my least favorites. Well it was until this year…</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When I was little, I enjoyed dressing up in a costume that you could show your grandma, and note that this costume could hold it’s own against the unpredictable MN weather (ie. the great Halloween bizzard of 1991!), and I also liked the pumpkin carving. Oh the pumpkin carving!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">While I don’t remember the very first time I carved a pumpkin, I do have many fond memories of carving sessions. I remember going to the grocery store with the family and picking out a pumpkin so big we could barely carry it. Then my sisters, brother, and I would sit on the cold basement floor with newspapers surrounding us and our “tools” (real knives, screwdriver, you name it) scattered about. I have many happy memories about Halloween. And now I will add Halloween 2010 to that list.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most of my classmates had never carved a pumpkin before. Even one of my classmates said – I’ve only seen that on cartoons. My reply was – we actually do that! So Friday night we had a pumpkin project at school. We went to the Colyurt to buy our pumpkins – since carving isn’t common here, we had to buy pie pumpkins (one-fifth the size of the ginormous carving pumpkins in the USA). Then we went back to campus, spread out yesterday’s newspaper and started carving! </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQoYMB_FwLL3Y25Bu6cI3LZZa0sN_aXv2MCJiqyKxOVBuZXC9UMm_whpJPIMmu9Uorr6ViSNMXq-0bzhU2_3xN1_M4x9kQ5Sj5c3tsOc0MTkMXNRU0KOnqc7Iltul7jLajTivRzXqKro/s1600/a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQoYMB_FwLL3Y25Bu6cI3LZZa0sN_aXv2MCJiqyKxOVBuZXC9UMm_whpJPIMmu9Uorr6ViSNMXq-0bzhU2_3xN1_M4x9kQ5Sj5c3tsOc0MTkMXNRU0KOnqc7Iltul7jLajTivRzXqKro/s320/a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">...concentrating...</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkq9MXUACwyzTwHh9lpQWCjFErXLbWIbGx0Qdjl6SDjdqXchYEB81E3gutCh7td39_sQmox9LFplJb6xbXKuLYGOOWJO_kDB8KBlbHvrjvpA5BylJZysXeQCkSqwgHwDOG8XvjTOJ22E/s1600/b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkq9MXUACwyzTwHh9lpQWCjFErXLbWIbGx0Qdjl6SDjdqXchYEB81E3gutCh7td39_sQmox9LFplJb6xbXKuLYGOOWJO_kDB8KBlbHvrjvpA5BylJZysXeQCkSqwgHwDOG8XvjTOJ22E/s320/b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">pumpkin guts</span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7e5SrljF49OYGk9ELtH3XlxYiipBECUUFH0fWukPoi6gP7ttVM-vQ4bA1RxP71-39aE2pRRv9xEePFPHAe6H4YP30G1GQ7Agp4pGj-NSv47ceY1McvpokCaHAJi2ywgMdQYMmSgWEHs/s1600/c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7e5SrljF49OYGk9ELtH3XlxYiipBECUUFH0fWukPoi6gP7ttVM-vQ4bA1RxP71-39aE2pRRv9xEePFPHAe6H4YP30G1GQ7Agp4pGj-NSv47ceY1McvpokCaHAJi2ywgMdQYMmSgWEHs/s320/c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">even our 3-armed classmated joined in the fun and made 2 pumpkins</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I really had a really great time and I think my classmates did too! I want to thank each one of them for a super fun night and I won’t ever forget their first pumpkin carving!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yQovm8YjQtb1dDPkTv8xNtooSeDefLkaQyltSkMqpBW5OJpKuMuSFCNkrtTMLva8DVZWqLCID1NLdOnifLzuMJMEH8mrUSX_JNduu4DSv5Ey_UZ54N-TPWVuWWecwZT3Uvi_NedJMJY/s1600/z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4yQovm8YjQtb1dDPkTv8xNtooSeDefLkaQyltSkMqpBW5OJpKuMuSFCNkrtTMLva8DVZWqLCID1NLdOnifLzuMJMEH8mrUSX_JNduu4DSv5Ey_UZ54N-TPWVuWWecwZT3Uvi_NedJMJY/s320/z.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Vlerick pumpkin project team 2010</span></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-A</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">P.S. Thank you to Tracy & Debby for letting me take your pics from fb!</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-50449532171614123332010-10-18T08:15:00.001+02:002010-10-18T21:42:17.028+02:00Mechelen, Be.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As promised, I went out and explored my new home instead of posting a "normal" blog. I went with a classmate to Mechelen - just 30 minutes from Leuven by train. Click on the link below to see the whole album!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Oct2010Mechlen02?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy1247BuJT3hAE"><img border="0" ex="true" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_pGiajzY55K8/TLs5J0lF2uI/AAAAAAAACKU/2wFmIJS_g4E/s320/PA170006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Oct2010Mechlen02?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy1247BuJT3hAE"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/Oct2010Mechlen02?authkey=Gv1sRgCMy1247BuJT3hAE</span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-37268650749814140172010-10-06T23:32:00.000+02:002010-10-06T23:32:11.107+02:00REM (not the band)Last weekend (1 – 3 October) was the fall REM. That’s Rotaract Europe Meeting and not the band. I haven’t been to a REM concert but the Rotaract thing is super fun!<br />
<br />
Living in the USA, I’ve restricted my Rotaract travels to the location of the Rotary International Conventions aka. RIC (2005 Chicago, 2006 Copenhagen, 2007 Salt Lake City, 2008 Los Angeles, 2009 Birmingham UK, 2010 Montreal). I always have a great time at these celebrations – yes that’s right the Conventions are a celebration. It’s a gathering of hundreds of Rotaractors from all over the world to share ideas, partner on service projects, and to get to know each other and celebrate together our common mission. Just look at these pictures below from the Birmingham and Montreal RIC. Doesn’t it look fun?<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIwOxfZX5NTQas4tnC0-imqYbkTVwRiH-IkD5DBliX_dhWOV_DpKRVtLMiF4IjYD35aT2EYlOW1unblZ4PRpRCLkRCRyd-ZGjlPmZKEPbX_gTvz2Q6scoFrK4l2MplIyjQKPezruMTLw/s1600/RIC+Montreal+2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinIwOxfZX5NTQas4tnC0-imqYbkTVwRiH-IkD5DBliX_dhWOV_DpKRVtLMiF4IjYD35aT2EYlOW1unblZ4PRpRCLkRCRyd-ZGjlPmZKEPbX_gTvz2Q6scoFrK4l2MplIyjQKPezruMTLw/s320/RIC+Montreal+2010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ok, but now I’m in Belgium and I’ll count that as Europe. So I’m going to take every chance I get to go to the Rotaract meetings over here. The first one was REM in Amsterdam – it only takes 2 hours to get to Amsterdam from Brussels. The weekend went by very quick; I arrived on Friday night and left Sunday after breakfast. The committee put on a really good show: opening session in a “not that old” church (which means built in the 1800’s), local pub crawl with host clubs, more meetings, canal tour, Heineken tour, and a fancy dress gala.<br />
<br />
But the best part about it was it was so good seeing my friends again – some of those Rotaractors I’ve been Conventioning with since 2005 and some I just met in June in Montreal. This time in Amsterdam I met another great bunch of them from all over Europe and I’m excited to see them again in January at the next REM in Belgrade! (Click below to look at my pictures.) <br />
<br />
<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/REMOct2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_Fj_Kkre74ugE">http://picasaweb.google.com/Annie.Marek/REMOct2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ_Fj_Kkre74ugE</a><br />
<br />
See you later,<br />
Annie<br />
<br />
FYI - Amsterdam is far too big to see it all in just 36 hours so I’ll be back sometime this year.Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-46254476050935315912010-09-23T00:04:00.007+02:002010-09-23T00:13:14.461+02:00A yearI often think about my life a year ago: A year ago, I didn’t know I would be a full-time MBA student. A year ago, I didn’t know I was going to move away from all my family & friends and the only home I’ve ever known. A year ago, I didn’t know I was going to leave my job for a big unknown adventure.<br />
<br />
A year ago, I wanted to experience something great that would change my world. I was not thinking about Belgium or Vlerick*, but now that I’m here I can’t imagine being anywhere else but sitting in -1.01 at Vlamingenstraat 83, 3000 Leuven. (*You can read about my crazy adventure to Vlerick in my <a href="http://anniemarek.blogspot.com/2010/06/my-university.html">June</a> post.)<br />
<br />
What a difference a year makes. This past year has flown by and I know the 2010-11 school year will go by just as fast.<br />
<br />
We’re only 3 weeks into the MBA program and we’ve already finished 4 classes - of which 2 have papers due in mid-Oct and 1 has an essay test due in early Oct. We have 3 more classes in the works, oh and I can’t forget that we have to keep up with our CVs and the career opportunities that come our way. We will have over 20 courses, 1 in-company project, 1 study trip to China, and 1 NGO project all within 12 months. I know what you’re thinking…WOW!<br />
<br />
And that’s exactly what I was thinking. But then I stepped back and remembered something in my handy-dandy 2010-11 Ambassadorial Scholarship Handbook from RI:<br />
<br />
<em>While your studies are important, they are not the foremost reason you were selected as a Rotary Scholar. Don’t spend all of your time studying. Realize that the greatest education this year will not come from a textbook or coursework. </em>:)<br />
<br />
Now it’s shortly after midnight here on September 23. This is a very unforgettable date for me and a group of people. If I was with you last year on this date, I am so grateful for what I learned from each and every one of you. You have impelled me to improve upon my life; my experience here will be richer because of you. <br />
<br />
On that note, I’m going to bed. <br />
<br />
See you later,<br />
AnnieAnniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-48389545342532997232010-09-02T18:40:00.000+02:002010-09-02T18:40:16.908+02:00People and places.<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I realized I haven’t yet mentioned anything about the people I’m meeting and my new city: Leuven.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>My classmates</em>. Day was day 2 of class and I’m so happy to finally meet everyone. Before class started, I only met about 30 of my classmates (out of over 80). I met the first 30 around Leuven before class began - you’ve probably seen them in my pics. It was nice meeting them on a smaller scale; I was able to talk to them individually and I had a chance to get know them. So meeting the remaining 50 was a little overwhelming - I’m so happy we’re wearing name badges! My classmates are from all over the world and I think my class is about 90% international. That’s one of the reasons I chose a European business school, the internationality of the classroom is unlike anywhere else in the world. I’ve met classmates from Singapore, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Kenya, Colombia and so many other places. We all have our reasons why we chose Vlerick, but there’s one underlying theme for all of us: to experience something new, to work with people from all over the world and to learn from them. I usually don’t put a lot of weight in first impressions but after meeting my classmates I think I can safely say that this is going to be one amazing year!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Rotarian and Rotaractors</em>. Leuven has a Rotary Club and is home to the largest Rotaract club in the district. I attended my first Rotary meeting on Tuesday night and was able to meet and talk to many of the Rotarians there. Their meeting was held at 7pm over supper at a restaurant in a nearby town, Kessel-lo. The meeting was in Flemish, which unfortunately I don’t know, but I think I was able to understand some of it. If I listen hard enough I can pick out a few works and know what’s going on. Their presentation for the meeting was by a club member and former Rotaractor, she was talking about the results that came from a joint meeting Rotary-Rotaract brainstorming session about how to connect the 2 clubs. That’s a topic that I’m always interested in. :-) My next Rotary event is on Sunday - a walk through part of town followed by a bbq. I’ve only met 1 Rotaractor so far, he was kind enough to pick me up from my airport hotel and take me to Leuven, hopefully on Sunday I’ll meet more of them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Leuven</em>. Leuven really is a small city with a big university. I get everywhere by foot. Some of my classmates rented bikes but I’m enjoying the walks. At home, I need a car. Places are far away and there is no mass transportation that takes me from home to work or home to shopping. Here in Leuven, I live near the center of the city and yes it’s a bit loud but I like the city noise. It’s also no more than a 20 minute walk to anywhere I need to go. The town has everything I need, but I need to go to many stores to get my shopping list done - I’m used to Super Target. Here in Belgium I go to the Apotheek (pharmacy), Delhaize (grocery), Hema (household), Kruidivat (drugstore…different than pharmacy), fnac (electronics), and then there’s the numerous clothing and shoe stores. I also need to make sure I get my shopping done before they close. Most stores (including grocery) close at 6pm and are not even open on Sunday. I’m used to 24/7 from the USA so this one is taking me a some time to get used, but I’m really enjoying the lazy Sundays…which I’m sure will become study Sundays as soon as school picks up.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>My studio</em>. Ok if you’ve been wondering yes, I’ve moved into my studio but it didn’t go as smoothly as I hoped. I haven’t been able to unpack because I don’t have a wardrobe and they’re finishing the renovation so every day they come in and do something and I get home and clean up after them. I just want to unpack already. They promise me on Saturday I’ll have it, but this will be their 3rd promised day…I’m not optimistic. So it’s not presentable and definitely no pics.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you have any questions let me know and I’ll try to answer them all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">See you later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-41219209845442310252010-08-29T16:32:00.000+02:002010-08-29T16:32:25.073+02:00BRU 28 Aug 10And now, pics from Sat afternoon and dinner in Brussels!<br /><br /><a style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; CLEAR: right" href="http://goo.gl/photos/VhxG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_pGiajzY55K8/THpC_nvVDhE/AAAAAAAABww/QtD4BasM6jk/s160-c/BRU28Aug10.jpg" /></a>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-20837098964623972752010-08-29T16:27:00.000+02:002010-08-29T16:27:32.424+02:00LeuvenFinally! Pics from Leuven, click on the pic below.<br /><br /><a style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 1em; MARGIN-LEFT: 1em; CLEAR: right" href="http://goo.gl/photos/7Mxv" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_pGiajzY55K8/THpCbG_pgBE/AAAAAAAABws/3L5yYtJf7Lw/s160-c/Leuven.jpg" /></a>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-769832641902265846.post-58471896117045229652010-08-26T12:07:00.000+02:002010-08-26T12:07:41.612+02:00The great search<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’ve been in Leuven only 5 days now, but it feels like a lot longer…in a good way. I’ve been walking in the city each every day and learning my way around city center and slowly learning how to pronounce the name of the streets like Bondgenotenlaan and Vesaliusstraat.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My mission the first few days has been my housing for the year. You see my school, Vlerick, is only a grad school and doesn’t have student housing. But the Katholieke University (KU is the oldest Catholic Univ in the world) is also in Leuven and has temporary accommodations available. My temp housing is about a 15-20 minute walk away from city center (which is a nice walk except when it’s raining). I’m safe and warm here but I need to find a place to live for the year. I arrived in Leuven on Saturday and started my great search on Monday … after I got a local phone – a necessity when calling prospective landlords.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The International Student Housing office at KU provides assistance in finding a place to live (well they have computers to search the web and phones to use) but they also have people that will read your Dutch lease and help you with Leuven law. So it’s helpful, but what has also been extremely helpful is my classmates and my own 2 feet. I got a lot of great advice from classmates that arrived before me, I also walked around with another classmate that was also hunting and it was really the walking and calling numbers listed on TE HUUR (for rent) signs. And in the end I called a rental agent and found a studio within 2 hours – I move in on Monday. I’m glad I started by looking on my own, when I went with the agent I had a general idea of what’s available and prices. It was less than what I wanted in a studio and a bit more than what I wanted to spend but I heard all the good places with good prices were taken way back in June. So I’m happy with what I have, it’ll work for the year. Once I move in I’ll post pics of my place, because I know you just can’t wait!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Finding housing was really important. Why you ask – well it’s the final step for the visa. My USA passport only gets me 90 days as a tourist so to stay for the year I need a student visa. The Belgium gov’t requires many things to get this visa – from my tax return, bank records & pay stubs to FBI record to a medical certificate. So I sent all these docs to the Embassy in NYC and I eventually got my visa back …except it’s only good until Nov 15, 2010! I was so concerned, but it turns out that this is just provisional and I need to finish the process after I actually arrive in Leuven. Now the process is go to city hall no more than a few days before move-in and register with them (they need a copy of my lease and to be safe I’ll bring all my docs from school). Then the city sends a police officer to my address to make sure I live there. Really.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">So it’s now Thursday and I move on Monday. I don’t want to shop for things for my studio because I don’t want to buy more I need to move from here to there. And it’s raining outside – again. Maybe instead of shopping for household items I’ll shop for a rain coat. I think I’m going to need more than the 1 I brought. ;-)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Later!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">-Annie</span>Anniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08228229948752814879noreply@blogger.com0