Thanksgiving

Since we weren't able to spend Thanksgiving the usual way with family our team decided to travel for it.  We went to Prague in the Czech Republic.  It was quite an experience getting there.  We took a train for eight hours through the night, "sleeping" in one of the sleeper cars.  Aaron was the only one who really slept the whole night, but we made it.  

Prague is a beautiful city with a rich history and several beautiful cathedrals, which is ironic considering that they are one of the most atheistic countries in the world.  It was a great place to be able to relax, sight see and enjoy Thanksgiving.  Plus there were several American restaurants in town.  We had KFC, which made Aaron very happy, Subway, which made Cindy happy, and then for Thanksgiving we ate at TGIFriday's-not your traditional Thanksgiving food, but it was still great!  There was also another restaurant,  Bohemia Bagel that we ate breakfast at that had cheddar cheese on their bagel sandwiches, something that you can't get over here, so Cindy and I were very excited.  we love cheddar and have missed it.  

In Prague there was the Christmas market as well, so it was fun to peruse the shops with goodies and souvenirs.  The main Christmas market in Old Town Square opened the day we left so we didn't get to experience it, but we saw the lights and the decorations going up.  All-in-all it was a great trip.

Sunday, after we returned to Kosice, we had our real Thanksgiving dinner.  Cindy made turkey breast and everyone chipped in to complete the meal.  We ate turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, cornbread, green bean casserole, fruit and regular salads, followed by pumpkin pie and ouie-gouie butter cake.  It all was delicious!  We set up tables and ate like a big family, it was a great night.  Then we followed that up by decorating the Christmas tree at the girls' apartment, luckily some of the former STINTers had already bought a tree and ornaments.  So it ended up being a great Thanksgiving week with great time with our STINT team family!

Here's one of the Christmas markets and then the Charles Bridge, probably the best known spot in Prague.  It was under some reconstruction while we were there so I (Mikey) couldn't get a full picture of the beauty of the bridge.  

On the left is the Astronomical Clock, It tells month, day year, time and many other things as well, I can't remember what all our tour guide told us.  And on the hour it plays music and the twelve apostles pass by the windows above the clock while a skeleton rings a bell and then the rooster crows before the bells ring the time.  It's a very intricate clock.  On the right is Old Town Square with the Jan Hus Monument and the Church of Our Lady before Ty'n.  

Here's the girls getting ready to decorate the Christmas tree!

Roma

For All Saints Weekend we found a great deal for a trip to Rome: plane tickets for $50, train tickets for $50, and free hotel rooms thanks to Amber's mom (yay for Susan!).  We stayed right in the heart of downtown Rome within walking distance to many famous landmarks, including the Colosseum.  It was a quick trip, Thursday through Saturday, but definitely worth it.  We had some great gelatto, Italian ice cream, and some great food.  We enjoyed a Caprese Salad with fresh buffalo mozeralla as well as lasagna and different pastas.  

Vatican City was amazing.  Especially as we walked into the Sistine Chapel and saw the amazing work Michelangelo did portraying the greatness of God.  I was prepared for the Chapel to be small, so I was amazed at how big it actually was.  To see the amount of work he put into this masterpiece is truly amazing.  We also went into St. Peter's Basilica as well.  Which was huge.  Everything about it was larger than life.  There were statues of former popes lining the walls, standing at least two stories tall.  

Here's Michelangelo's Pieta.  Truly an amazing piece of art.

St. Peter's Basilica

Here's Aaron and me wrestling in the Colosseum!  We took a guided tour and were amazed at the sheer size and complexity of the Colosseum.  

Fall Retreat

On a cool Friday afternoon we made the trek over to the bus station, piled onto our bus and made the three hour journey to Fall Retreat.  You see the group from Bratislava and Kosice to the left.  We had a few new faces and many old ones come together for a weekend of spiritual conversations, fun, and fellowship.  

Mark Sanders spoke to us about satisfaction.  He is on staff with Campus Crusade in Budapest, Hungary, after starting movements in Romania.  He worked with Student Venture (Campus Crusade's high school ministry) and therefore had no problem engaging the crowd, even with a translator.  

Between Mark's talks we spent time in groups discussing what Mark had said, it was encouraging to see students leading discussion groups in Slovak and hear them sharing their testimonies with others in the groups.  It gave us a vision of the indigenous movement of Slovaks we will be leaving empowered to reach this part of the world for Christ after this year.  

We also spent some time enjoying the mountains where we were as well.  We played some volleyball, some went on a hike, and some of the girls tried to make friends with the sheep who were grazing through the field where our cabin was.  I also had my first taste of buchti (boo-kti), which is a dinner of a pastry filled with a dab of jam and then covered in a sauce similar to chocolate milk.  So basically every kid's dream of dessert for dinner.  It wasn't my favorite but many love it.  

 

At the beginning of last month Amber, Dara, Aaron, and myself (Mikey) hit the streets of Kosice to participate in the 85th Kosice Peace Marathon.  We ran the half-marathon, which is 21 KM or 13.1 miles.  It was a great experience as the city came alive cheering on the runners.  The team came out to cheer us on complete with signs they had made for each of us.  The route ran right in front of our apartment and ended where it began on Hlavna (Main St.).  We were definitely tired after that, but it was a great feeling to finish the race, especially as they put a medal around your neck as you cross the finish line.  Amber, Aaron, and myself are looking at running another one in Prague in the spring.  

Update from Kosice by Cindy

Hello Everyone!

This is Spis (Speesh) Hrad (Castle). It's close by and we took a day trip to see it.

So, it's been awhile since we've written on here. We have been busy with meetings to plan our ministry here and also a few trips. We took a day trip to a nearby castle (ruins really) which was lots of fun! It was definitely not like anything we've ever seen in the States. We also took a four day trip to the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava. We were there for a conference with all the Campus Crusade staff here in SK. (Which currently is our team and a slightly bigger team in Bratislava. Everyone in Bratislava is either a national or they are here long term (at least 3-5 years). Most of the Americans in Bratislava have been here for a long time.)

This week we are trying to settle in to a "normal" schedule, but alas things are still changing. Our team had to change the days and times for our language classes again to fit into the teachers' schedules. It seems like it is pretty set at this point though, so hopefully that will be the last time we have to rearrange our week. This weekend, Mikey is going with some of our staff team and students to a Survivor Camp. They will sleep in cabins and do some obstacle courses and stuff in the woods. AIA (Athletes in Action- another Campus Crusade ministry) staff will be running the camp and we have been advertising it to all the students we have met on the campuses here in Kosice and in Presov. So, you can be praying that a lot of students will come and that it will be a good time of relationship building. I will not be going because it doesn't seem like a very "pregnant friendly" event and also for the past week or so I have been more sick than ever! But, in 2-3 more weeks I will be out of the first trimester and hopefully the sickness will fade away!

Also coming up in our schedule in the annual Peace Marathon here in Kosice. It is on October 5th. Although Mikey didn't have time to train for the full marathon, he is going to be running the half marathon (13 miles). Two of our other teammates, Aaron and Amber, are going to participate as well. I had hoped to run the mini-marathon (3 miles), but things just haven't worked out for that this year! :) I will try to get some good pictures of Mikey running though. Runners come from all over the world to compete in this marathon, including some very talented runners from Kenya. It's a pretty big deal here in Kosice and probably the only time we will see Slovaks yelling in public! I guess that's about all the news from here. Once again I will try to get Mikey to write the next post so that you can hear from him as well. (Although he did put up all the pics of our apartment.)

Cindy

This is where we live

This is where we live

We're in Slovakia!

Hello Everyone!

Well this officially our second full day in Slovakia. We have already gotten tram passes and rail passes( with the help of some Slovak friends) and went grocery shopping for the first time. Which was quite the adventure. We went to a smaller grocery store (Potraviny) near our apartment, but the selection was pretty poor and there was absolutely no english in the whole store. We will probably go to Tesco next time. It's much bigger and it is a british owned company, so at least some labels are in English. Today we have been cleaning and sorting in our apartment. Mikey ran out to get lunch and after that we are going to tackle unpacking. It should take too long since we only have clothes and a few other items with us. Next week we will travel to Budapest to go to Ikea to get some more things to make the apartment feel like home! It's really a nice little place though. It's only about 500 sq. feet (maybe less), but it is in pretty good shape. There was a lot of cleaning to do since two single guys lived here last year, but it's almost done. We're not really sure where we will put the baby, but we are thinking a nice cozy basket would work, since he will only be three months old when we leave here. Of course there is lots and lots of time to figure that out! We are anxious to start our Slovak language classes so that we can be a little bit more self sufficient. I know a little bit, I have been surprised by how much has come back to me, but Mikey doesn't know any Slovak at all. So, he's been feeling a little stressed in public. Anyways, I guess that's all the news for now! Maybe I will let Mikey post next so that you can hear from him! Ciao!

Cindy 

Hello Hello...by Cindy

Hello Everyone! I have to say I did not think that I would ever have a blog, but Mikey and I have decided this will be the best way for people to keep up with us while we are out of the country next year. So...we will try to be good about keeping this up to date and such. Right now we have about 6 weeks left in Lexington before we move out of our apartment on May 15th. Then we will travel around for the summer raising support and taking some classes before we head to Slovakia on August 20th. More updates to follow.....