Currently in Salzburg, Romania Part 1

The summer semester is already flying by. I had to give a presentation today and I will admit my mind has not completely left the vacation-mode it was in for the whole month of February. But now that my class schedule is set in stone, I am working on time management again. The weekends are always a bit dangerous. With Fridays off there is so much free time to keep a handle on. There is the possibility that I will do an internship so maybe than can fill up some Fridays or Saturdays for me.

Currently my laptop is on the brink of extinction, so I have become reliant on the university computers. Not to mention our dorm internet is functioning only for Skype. But I will survive and this problem only forces me to get important computer-requiring schoolwork done during work hours.

The weather here in Salzburg cannot make up its mind about Spring. One day the sun is shining, the next it is rainy. Then all in one day today, it has been windy storm grayness, then partly sunny and partly cloudy, then (again all in the same day) snowstorm whirling around everywhere. I am just hoping to never get in town somewhere and have to bike home in awful weather. I haven't had any accidents riding the bike yet either. Soon I will have gotten over the fear of being hit by a car or doing something wrong and getting yelled at.

Also I'm not embarrassed to admit that even though I am 22, I woke up during the stormy weather last night and (roommate-less) I had to tell myself not to be scared, it was just the wind and trees outside my window.

As the financial crisis continues in America and worldwide, I want to start sharing with you about the people I have met and spent time with in Romania. The pictures with today's post have writing with each photo. So please enjoy the album.

Zoltan's Village

Today's turn of events: Germany and Uganda

So today started out with my field trip to see a history exhibit just across the Salzburg, Austrian border in Germany. There in the town of Berchtesgaden I was reminded of events which took place not that far back in our history, of a man who frequented the very same cities I have toured, and of those victims who must never be forgotten.

( http://www.obersalzberg.de/obersalzberg-home.html?&L=1&cHash=89852a3347 )

Later today I spoke with my granddad on Skype and he commented that some people in our culture/country/world suffer from short term memory. Whether it is a problem of remembering the past or being ignorant of the present, I write this post to remind myself and anyone who reads this that we learn history so that good decisions can be repeated and so that bad events will never re-occur.

It is with sadness that I write tonight about the bad events which have occurred and are occuring still now. Your question might be what do Germany and Uganda have in common? I can't easily wrap my mind around how another genocide is taking place and it doesn't cover the front of our newspapers everyday. There is (a lot of) evil in this world and yes it can be uncomfortable to think about it, even overwhelming at times. But where the darkness of evil exists, the good light of God can shine through and create change.

I publish this not to guilt anyone, pull at heart strings or expect anything in response. I have simply been moved by the remembrance of one evil that was stopped only by people who took action. And I am reminded again of the evil that is in our midst today which can be stopped when we take action. I don't have all the answers, and these guys from Invisible Children may not either but here goes...

Watch this documentary and hear (maybe for the first time) about what is happening.
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/april2009/index-en.html

A few of my thoughts from the film:
- What will I do? What can I do to stop the Jospeh Konys and Adolf Hitlers in the world? Something I heard regarding the Holocaust was that so many people did not realize what was happening in the Concentration camps. With technology, globalization and information at our fingertips, ignorance can no longer be my excuse.
- It is not just an Acholi problem, it is MY problem. It is not just a problem for the young 25 year olds. Every person can learn from this and take action.
- Where was I December 25, 2008? Complaining that I was in Austria rather than with my own family to celebrate Christmas.
- "The world is my community" As I move from state to state, country to country, the world is my community. Just like my parents wanted the community in Athens Alabama to be safe for me, I want my world-community to be safe for my children.

"To bring the 3,000 child soldiers home, it will take an army of at least 3,000 individuals to pledge $3 a week through TRI."
A Dream for the future: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/media/videos/detail.php?id=1993739679
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/home.php
http://www.resolveuganda.org/take-action

Summer Semester, International Dinner, Stolen Bike

Hello again everyone. I have a new goal this semester.

I would like to post an update once a week (the minimum) instead of the random barely once a month post you have been getting so far. Hold me to this goal; make me feel guilty or email me; ask me if I am still alive so that I remember how important this communication line is for us. There is always something I can share I just let them pile up or forget what I want to tell before I get to writing the next post.

Okay now for an update:

School started last week and I am still straightening out my schedule and deciding between a few classes. Last semester was incredibly stressful so I am trying to lighten my load enough so that I am able to accomplish the challenges.

There are some new students in my dorm. Mostly they are Americans here for a semester replacing the Americans who were here last semester. But we also have new Austrians and Italians. Then last Thursday our hall had an International Dinner. We all cooked foods from our 'mother country' and shared it with the rest of the group. I decided to cook 2 dishes for the first time: sloppy joes and oven-baked macaroni and cheese. Other American dishes were barbecue chicken, potato skins, and puppy chow. We ate so much food that night and aside from the Australian vegemite sandwich, I liked everything I tried.

Many of you know or can read from my February post that I stayed in Romania last month. That experience requires its own post(s) which are soon to come. In the mean time, here is a link to one picture I took there. It was on a day during the last week when I went sightseeing in Targu Mures. My friend/tour guide Zozo and I took a picture of the same building. He thinks he took the better picture. If you have an opinion feel free to let me know your preference.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2019012&id=54001446&l=bffa5

Last week I went to the airport and had my return flight date set for coming back to America. The time is flying by and now I have less than 4 months left in Salzburg. It is a bit sad to think about another chapter of my life ending, but I am excited about coming home. (July 1 if you were wondering)


A funny story to end with:
Over Christmas I bought a bicycle. In January it was too cold outside to ride and I had a bus pass that I could use to get everywhere. In February I was not here but now my bus pass has expired and last week I wanted to start riding my bike to school. It is a 30 minute walk so maybe just a 15 minute bike ride. I went to the front of my dorm where I thought my bike would be and saw my bike with a flat tire. So last week I used the bus or walked to school. On Saturday I took this bike to a shop to get the tire and light fixed, I rode the bike into the city, and then I came back home tired but glad to have exercised a bit.

Then yesterday I went to the front of my dorm where I had locked up this bike on Saturday and the bike was gone. Salzburg is known for bike thieves so I wasn't surprised but I was annoyed. A friend in the dorm, who had been taking care of my bike in February, didn't believe it was stolen because he saw it at the bike rack behind the dorm when he came to school. Nothing really added up until I got home last night. My friend, Kenny, confirmed that my bike was in fact safe and sound behind the dorm.

So I stole someone's bike on Saturday... My key worked on the lock with some struggling involved. I also repaired their bike. I guess if they unhappily discovered it missing on Saturday they were very relieved when it was back in better condition than before.

Yes now you can laugh at me. I am laughing at myself now too.