The past few days Chris and I have been working on our Internship presentation, which took a little longer than expected as we had some minor technical difficulties along the way.  We finally got everything working, including audio and video synched.  The days have gone by a little faster since we have been so busy with the presentation, but we managed to get some shopping in and dinner with Andreas. 

I have to admit, I am looking forward to getting back home, but I feel a little sadness being that we will be leaving tomorrow.  Our flight is really early!   Chris and I still have to pack—I believe Aaron & Jen already finished. 

If anyone happens to read this before we leave, please keep us all in your prayers as we are traveling tomorrow.  Chris, Aaron, and Jen are traveling together from Zurich, and I will be traveling by myself from there.  We all have the same flight from Prague to Zurich in the morning, which will be nice. ... (more)

Trip to Salzburg & Austria

Chris, Aaron, Jen, and I took and interesting trip to Salzburg, Austria last weekend.  We took a train from Prague around 5pm the day we left and arrived in Salzburg about 7 hours later.  Whew…long train ride! Poor Chris woke up that morning feeling very sick.  Needless to say, he was miserable on the train.  I felt so bad for him.  When we arrived at the train station in Salzburg, we went to find our hotel.  Chris and Aaron asked a taxi driver outside where the hotel was located; we found out it was literally right around the corner from the train station! Hallelujah! We didn’t have to go far to get some much needed rest!  The hotel was wonderful; it had comfortable beds, air-conditioning, internet (although not free), mini-bar, and TV.  It was very comfortable.  Great choice, Chris!!

The next morning, Chris wasn’t doing so well, so he stayed at the hotel while Aaron, Jen and I ventured to the city center of ... (more)

Wednesday, July 25, 2007: Again, it has been a while since the last post. Last time, I wrote, I mentioned translating some of Andreas’s work. The next day (Tues), the girls went with Andrea’s to Dresden to see the Jazz orchestra again. This a good thing, because this allowed Jenn to see Dresden and the Jazz orchestra…both of which she missed. Hannah also had a chance to go back which gave her another chance to visit her favorite country…Germany. The girls took a bus with the actual orchestra…they said they were uncomfortable and the border police stopped the whole bus to check the two Americans passports. Chris and I lounged and went around the city…recovering from a mentally and physically challenging weekend. The next day we regrouped and we met with Andreas to get another solid agenda for the next few days. ... (more)

Tuesday, July 17, 2007: It has been a while since I last posted a blog…Since the last time I had written, we had went to Dresden and had a wonderful weekend. Our train was to leave out of Holesevice (our neighborhood) at 10:34; it was delayed 45 minutes. Once we placed ourselves on the train it began it get uncomfortable because of the heat…It seems as if Europe knows nothing of AC. A heat wave had come over the area. We met a family who was from Maryland and had been traveling Europe for the next few weeks, they gave us some good recommendations of what to see in Dresden. Our train followed the Elbe River the entire trip. It was amazing to see the difference between the Czech Republic and Germany just as you cross the border. Once you entered Germany, houses and lawns were well kept, and the homes didn’t look like bomb shelters. Simply an amazing view the entire train ride. ... (more)

Havent blogged lately, partley because I have been working on a video. I have completed it and posted it on the website. Here is a link. Check it out.

http://www.thefingerprintprojectonline.com/musicvideo.wmv

July 14, 2007

On Friday, July 13, we took a train ride from Prague to Dresden, Germany.  The train ride was not bad at all; it was approximately a 2 hour trip with beautiful scenery out the window!  Just looking out the window, Germany was so beautiful with greenery everywhere, gardens, and quaint houses. 

First mission when we arrived in Dresden was to find our way to the hotel.  We talked with a very nice lady working for the tram/bus line who helped us find our route to the hotel.  We arrived at the hotel, found our rooms and rested for a couple hours before we were to venture out into the city.  

After resting, we went to the center of Dresden to get dinner and see the beautiful scenery.  Chris, Aaron, and I found a Biergarten, where we got Hahnchen (1/2 chicken, kartoffeln (potatoes), and Wasser(water…well, Mineralwasser( carbonated mineral water...I didn’t mean to order carbonated…it was not good at all. ... (more)

On behalf of the team, I apologize we haven’t been blogging as of late.  The team has been very busy since we started working and hasn’t had much free time to reflect on the events of the past several days.

Wed (11th) was probably our busiest day yet.  We continued to work on the promotional video.  We got footage from many different locations around the city.  We also were able to complete to the script after a dozen (or so it seemed) edits to include all of the product features that needed to be highlighted.  That evening there was a lot of work on the agenda but we decided to take a much needed break for food.  Our luck with food and price has been getting much better lately however every one of us is Italianed out.  No more pizza or pasta!  I had passed by an Indian restaurant several times throughout or travels around the Muzeum but never ventured inside.  That night we did.  It was a great meal and even better company. ... (more)

July 10, 2007

Today we woke up and got ready, ate some breakfast, and then left to get some lunch at Chris, Jen, Aaron’s favorite place; however, we when arrived, the place was packed full of people.  So, we decided to go on to Andreas’ house and get something to eat with him before we went to work.  He suggested a typical Czech food restaurant (I forget the name of it).  I ordered chicken with pineapple and potatoes, along with a pink lemonade (although it was more like Strawberry Fanta!), and a Pivo (beer).  It was a pretty good meal.  After lunch, we walked back to Andreas’ house/office to work on the advertisement for his business.  Chris, Aaron and I worked on the script, and Jen worked on the website logo.  We got a little work done, then ate some dinner (Chinese place).  I thought it was ok—Chris and I got sweet and sour chicken with white rice.  It was pretty tasty. ... (more)

Tuesday, July 10, 2007: The past couple of days have been a real revelation. First great turn of events….Chris, Jen, and I went to the airport to pick up Hannah. They lost her bags as well. We took the bus back to the apartment…it is amazing how much money you can save when you know how to move around the town. When we initially arrived in Prague the fare cost us around $35 to get to our apartment. This time it cost us about $15. When we arrived back at the apartment we slept for a little while because everyone was exhausted. At 3:30 we were going to meet at a church where another pastor had referred us to talk to a man by the name of John Mullen, at Prague Christian Fellowship. It is also non-coincidental that this is also the same church that my pastor back home had recommended. Through a twist of events we didn’t make any business contacts through this pastor but rather through someone we met at the church. ... (more)

The passed two days have been very exciting despite the team’s physical ailments.  Jen is continuing to struggle with her allergies, Hannah is still recovering from a two week illness, and I’ve come down with a horrible sore throat which has taken a turn for the worst.  We’re all hoping Aaron remains healthy until the rest of us recover to full strength.

On a brighter note, God has provided us work.  We are working for a Christian entrepreneur, Andreas, who has recently launched an international online business.  Yesterday we were able to sample his product, an online presentation system, to get a better feel for its capabilities and identify the programs potential markets.  After we discovering more about the product and Andreas’s vision for the company, the gun shot sounded and the race began.  We had been anticipating such a moment for the past few weeks, so we were excited for the opportunity, not only to promote the product, but endorse the greater purpose of the ... (more)

Saturday, July 07, 2007: Today we semi-woke up…in what would be more considered a zombie like trance. We headed off to the train station at Kutna Hora. After arriving an hour later we were now on foot. Not knowing exactly how the day was going to unfold we began walking toward the center of town approximately 2 kilometers away. On the way we stopped at the Sedlec Bone Church. This must be one of the man made seven wonders of Eastern Europe. A few hundred years ago a pastor/priest of this church went to Jerusalem and brought back soil to consecrate the cemetery. Around the same time Europe was struck with the Bubonic Plague. It seemed like everyone wanted their remains to be buried at the “Holy Cemetery.” In all there were 40,000 bodies left stacked inside the church because they obviously ran out of room. A creative monk decided to decorate the church with the human remains. ... (more)

July 7, 2007

Left for Prague

Well, my flight from Norfolk to Philadelphia was actually quite interesting; I met a gentleman who was just hired as a pilot for USAirways, and he talked to me the entire flight so it flew by.  Then, I arrived in Philadelphia, which was a little confusing airport, but I found my gate and left around 7pm for Zurich.   The flight was horrible; I was stuck in the middle of two people, my seat did not recline, and the front pocket was broken so it hung down to around my knees.  Needless to say anything more, I was very uncomfortable and did not get any sleep. I finally arrived in Zurich around 8:40am CEST, and rushed to find my gate to Prague.  I went through the security and then got my boarding pass! Yay, I was almost there! I rode on Czech Airlines to Prague; this was interesting because the flight attendants knew I was American just by looking at me—they weren’t too friendly. ... (more)

Happy 4th of July!  As we worked at the small café (with free wi-fi), it was about 2pm before I realized that the holiday was upon us.  I think our minds are slowly becoming de-Americanized with each passing day.  It’s safe to say that we are all much more comfortable in our surroundings.  Traversing the city, communicating with locals, and the Prague atmosphere almost seems second nature.  It was a bit alarming to be unaware of our Nation’s birthday so late in the day when I would have had plans to celebrate much sooner back home.  It just goes to show how accustom to the Czech practices we have become in the past couple weeks.  We were looking forward to celebrating but have several leads to follow up on.

We are having our ad published in the Prague Post today.  It’s the same article that was put in the classifieds last week.  Unfortunately we haven’t had any inquires yet, but hopefully we’ll get a better response in the next few days. ... (more)

I haven't really blogged about our Poland trip. Mostly because I was still a little shaken about our trip to Auschwitz. As Americans we are very separated from World War II. We read about it in the history books and even heard stories from our grandparents, but we do not live the history. We have no concept of suffering, we have no concept of living in fear in our own homes. As I was ridding on the train to Poland looking out the window and was thinking of a time, not too long ago, when the countryside was covered by German soldiers. How hard it must have been just to survive. Taking that 8 hour train ride, I was very aware of how uncomfortable I was, yet I was ridding in luxury compared to the Jews during WWII. The train ride for them could be up to 17 days with no food, no water, and no room to sit. The Germans used their basic human needs against them . As humans we need to rest. ... (more)

Friday, July 06, 2007: Today and yesterday have both been national holidays that we did not know about. This put us back just a bit. Nothing is open. Every time that I have asked what the holiday is all about…they don’t know? How could someone have a holiday where nobody goes to school or work and not know what the holiday is for? Come to find out, it was explained to me that it was a holiday devoted to a couple of English men who came here hundreds of years ago and set up the Czech nation. They gave them social, economic, and religious norms and regulations. This pretty much helped form the country into a solid nation with an infrastructure. I had contacted a local church and asked the pastor about any needs that the four of us could help with. He didn’t have any needs but he gave me a number to a man at an interdenominational church that may. When I spoke with him, he asked if we could meet him at 3 o’clock on ... (more)

Well the crew is back from Poland.  It’s been a whirlwind of a trip but one that none of us will soon forget.

After a day of letting the visuals marinade, I don’t think the full impact of the trip has really hit us yet.  It’s a daunting picture to think of the actual events that took place at Auschwitz and Birkenau camps and the purpose they served.  We learned of these events through history books and see it on occasion through a movie, but you could almost feel the events standing on the ground of these two camps.  There are a lot of things we could never possibly comprehend, but for those in which we can, it is the most humbling experience you can image.

After touring the grounds, seeing the exhibits, and listening to our tour guide explain and describe to events left me in a state of amazement for so many reasons.  A few of these include: the power of one man having the ability to say “right” or “left” or simply twist his thumb and decide tens of thousands of ... (more)

Monday, July 02, 2007:  Today was a very emotional and sobering day.  We woke up early this morning to catch a taxi to the bus station.  After 1 ½ hours we arrived in Auschwitz 1.  We grabbed an early breakfast and began our entrance the entrance quoted “Work will set you free”.  What a lie.  Most of the occupants of Auschwitz were Polish and Soviet POW’s, with a few hundred women.  We walked through the gas chambers, the firing wall where they were hung and executed by firearm.  There were rooms full of the locks of hair the Nazis had shaved off.  The Germans to hide what was going had transposed the hair into carpet.  We saw rooms full of the little ones shoes, adult eyeglasses, and luggage.  The gas chambers where the Germans dropped the Zyklon B through a hole in the ceiling was an eerie location.  You could just picture people disrobing and walking down this corridor expecting showers and deadly gases getting dropped on you instead. ... (more)

Sunday, July 01, 2007:  Just heard about the bombing in Glasgow while preparing for the morning, luckily no one was hurt except for the weird beard that blew himself up.  A taxi was hailed and we were off to the Wawel Castle.  Absolutely beautiful, my perception of castles was totally different.  They are almost a self-sustaining entity.  They boast state-quarters, a church, dining area, armory, and many of other essential structures.  It is amazing to see how influential Christ was through-out Europe and simply such a sad thing to see how so many could forget Him.  Every street corner, doorway, picture, painting, and building has some historical structure with Christ on it.  It will be great to see when all is back under His rule in the human form again.  The Castle also boasted a Dragon’s Den where they believed a dragon lived for centuries.  Walking through it, you could see why they believed this. ... (more)

Saturday, June 30, 2007: This morning we woke up and went to Hlavni Nadrazi (the main train station) talk about another learning experience.  We purchased tickets to Krakow leaving at 2:07 p.m. and arriving at 9:55 p.m.  Now off to the Hilton to meet Mr. Deem and reserve the hotel in Poland.  We are now ready to depart…  I am pretty exited at this point…I have never been on a train.  What an experience!  While being cooped up in a carriage cart we met two young men from Norway traveling Europe.  And a very smelly man picked up in Köln, CZ.  After an hour of holding my breath; I met with Mr. Deem in the restaurant cart for coffee and shortly after was joined by Chris and Jenn for a light meal and a game of Rummy.  The country side is beautiful!  Acres of Lilac, Sunflowers, and wheat; white birches, amazing mountains and corn with thick stalks that put the U.S. to shame through the duration of the trip. ... (more)

Today has been productive.  We met Jason and Simona around 11:00 and they gave us a tour of the Senate Gardens and the entire Castle Quarter including where the U.S. embassy is located.  Simona also became probably one of the best assets we have met.  She took us to the main metro station and helped us fill out the paperwork to get a month-long metro pass…a one time payment of roughly $25.  This will keep us from nickel and dimming ourselves over the duration of our stay.  It also came in the knick of time.  On the way to Florenc station we were stopped by the Czech police, budged, and asked to provide documentation (tickets) for our Metro passes. Off to the Hilton….we planned out our weekend trip to Poland today.  We planned to leave today however the train was to arrive in Krakow at 5:45 a.m.; this would be too early to get checked into our hotel.  So it was decided to leave tomorrow.

Well last night we ended up staying home enjoying the on and off rain showers. We did do our laundry and Raddic, one of the guys with home sweet home, ended up showing us how to use the washing machine. Apparently, Aaron actually had boiled my jeans, the water temp is a little more exact on their washing machines. The 90 that Aaron had the washing machine set on was Celsius. Which would explain why my jeans came out steaming. Also, you have to manually set the machine to do a rinse cycle and a spin cycle.  No set it and forget it in Prague!!! Lets just say I may need to loose some weight to fit back into my jeans.

Thursday June 28, 2007:  Today has been a rather slow….it consisted of figuring out the washer machine. My translator only translates common terms and not descriptive directions in Czech. I did manage to accidentally wash my clothes on a normal setting. Jenns however, I told her to put them on the 95 setting. I thought this was the revolutions according to the translator. It was temperature….in Celsius. Her clothes came out steaming. The air is so dry here it can dry your skin out in no time…great for me. Bad for the others…everyone hang dries their clothes on the lines on the balcony. Jenn had so many clothes she had them strung through her window and tied to bathroom door. This placed clothes hanging not only on the balcony but across the bedroom and beds as well…what a sight. Tomorrow our friends Jason and Simona will meet us in the A.M. ... (more)

Monday, July 2...This morning we had an opportunity to sleep in a bit. We waited in the apartment until 1:00 p.m. for the maintenance guy to show up and put our washing machine and stove/oven together. I mentioned that it really wasn’t necessary to put these things together because we wanted to move to our intended apartment. I guess the contract on the original apartment has not gone through…they were buying the flat and the paperwork hasn’t been processed, so in the mean time we are staying in someone else’s flat until they return. We should be moving tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. We then headed to our quaint little coffee shop and bought some gelato and I created a yahoo account because none of my other mail servers work ... (more)