more great pictures...these are from Vienna. More stories to come soon.

Just some neat pictures I took in Prague...we stayed at Miss Sophie's! It was beautiful.

Safely in Vienna...

Lots of wonderful stories to tell already and it has only been a few days...

While I was slowly but surely on my way to meet up with the girls in Prague, Joy accidently left her computer on the Metro in Prague. Wow right?...she was certain that it was gone forever and the documents that she needed for this internship were the least of her worries. She called her parents in tears after asking police officers, hotel clerks, and the Metro office for help with no luck whatsoever. Amazingly, the next day she received an email explaining that a kind young man who works for the Ministry of Regional Development in Prague had her notebook and wanted to return it to her. How amazing is that? Not only did this help restore faith in humanity, it assures us that the BIG MAN has his eye on us during this trip. Thank God for that, literally. 

The jet lag is definitely putting a damper on our nightly activities. Last night, after a 3 hour nap, I was ready to go. I wanted to experience the night life that Prague had to offer. Unfortunately my running buddies were down for the count. I went to the hotel lobby to call my fiance, who I miss so much, and then went to a cute little restaurant called  Banditos that was literally 2 steps from our door. I met two fantastic couples, one from Wales, the other from Manchester. I had great conversation with them, well for what I could understand. The accents were pretty heavy, but the part that I actually understood was enjoyable and entertaining. I love the culture that surrounds us at any given moment here. So many languages and wonderfully different people. Good times.

After an adorable breakfast in Prague with a server who looked strangely like Edward Norton and was particularly intrigued with us, we headed to the train station and caught a ride to Vienna. After sitting in a first class car (accidently...oops) and walking for what seemed like 27 miles, we are safe and warm in our hotel in Vienna. We walked to a little restaurant that had the best and biggest meal we have had thus far. The veggies are SO fresh here, Joy especially loves that.  But I must say there have not been very many experiences that were not hilarious in their own way. For instance, there was a "porter" who approached us at the train station, looked at our tickets, grabbed our bags, and headed to our train. Leah picked up her step in fear that he would disappear with our bags. Once we got to the our stop, I pulled out what I thought was a good tip, he looked at me with disgust and said "My services are 150 crowns." I, clearly, gave him his money, but laughed really hard when he walked away. 

All that to say, we are having a great time, enjoying the beauty and diversity that is Europe, and seeing the humor in everything we can. We are here for 3 nights then on to Budapest. Thanks for the notes and keeping tabs on us. There are pictures to come soon, I promise. 

Megan's Misadventures...

After almost 12 hours of airports and repacking after I broke the zipper on a bag, I ended up in (drumroll please) Houston, Texas. The airport had multiple weather delays and by the time I finally got to Houston I had missed the flight that Joy and Leah were safely on to Amsterdam. I begged the ticket agents to get me to Prague as soon as possible, but the best they could do was put me on the same trip one day later. So I admitted defeat and stayed in the Comfort Suites. Here I am now in the aiport at Amsterdam waiting for my flight to Prague that leaves in 3 hours. Wish me luck for the rest of the trip...I will meet up with the other girls at the hotel in Prague. Take care everyone :)

Getting ready to leave...

I just got finished cramming everything I could into one huge bag to take to Moldova. Leah, Joy, and I all decided to try our best to take one carry on and one checked bag. Can you say laundry?? We have all talked on the phone at least once today! Our feelings are so mixed. We know that we are about to embark on a beautiful, life-changing, and fruitful adventure; however, we will miss our friends and family dearly. Joy has already said, "We are going to be a weeping mess when we leave home." I am willing to bet that no matter how ready we are to see our family, we will be a weeping mess when we leave Moldova too. In a conversation with Dr. Ballenger today, reality hit. Tomorrow, I will be gone for 105 days, I truly hope that I get to experience everything I have dreamed and imagined for this internship. Thank you in advance for all of your thoughts and prayers! Just so you know...we are meeting in Houston, flying to Amsterdam (for a 12 hour layover), then to Prague. We will be in Prague for 2 nights, Vienna for 3, and Budapest for 4! (This should lead to entertaining stories) Then we will head to Moldova to start our internship on the 5th. Get excited!! :)

AND...I want to share some EXCITING news that happened over the break. I am ENGAGED! I included the picture of my fiance, Cody, and I so you all could get a look at us! He proposed exactly a week before our flight for Moldova leaves. I will, obviously, miss him so much. I have so much to look forward to. (Oh and for my professors, don't worry, we have agreed to postpone wedding planning until I graduate, the focus will stay on Moldova and research)

Thanks for wanting to keep up with us. Look forward to great, funny, happy, sad, etc. stories! We love you all. More to come soon....