This was my first time to Paris. It was truly amazing. I got to meet my Italian friend Serena and spend four wonderful days there. Since these entries are only reflections, I thought I would add a story the I wrote after I got back. So here it is: Obviously I flew out from springfield to Minneapolis. I arrive in the twin cities only to have a really long layover. After the long wait, I board my plane with the destination of Amsterdam. I am glad and excited that I was on the plane, but notice we are sitting on board for a really long time. Finally the pilot comes over the speaker saying that there is a problem with the plane. He states that I warning light is on the the cockpit and the mechanics ... read more

This was my second trip to NYC. I got to meet Greg again, Adam from Poland, and Kelly from Minnesota. I also met up with my brother's friend Jeff once again. This time around, I was serious about having some fun. We did it just like in Latvia. We stayed at the Carlton Arms Hotel. They use hotel a little too freely. This was and is a hostel. Back in the day, it used to be a whore/gambling house. It was a very creative place nowadays. Every room is painted with a different mural/motif. It was very interesting. Some of the highlights from the trip where leaving Adam on the fire escape for multiple hours because he was locked out of the room. Meeting a girl from Italy out on the fire escape and inviting her ... read more

So the group from the University of Eau Claire thought it would be a great idea to share the American custom of Thanksgiving with all of the Internationals. There was wonderful food and everyone participated. It wasn't like my traditional Thanksgiving where I sleep in a wait for my mother to make everything. Everyone participated by making something traditiional from their home countries. I being an American went a bought a bottle of wine and a premade cake. We are a fast paced culture and that had to be represented right? Here are some wonderful photos. You might be wondering what we did with the uneaten leftovers? We gave them to a shelter. Yes we were good internationals while in Latvia. I remember going outside for some fresh air and running into a student with four ... read more

Okay, so I don't really know the date of this trip, but I do believe it was in November. The date really doesn't matter. This place was in the middle of nowhere. Greg and I had tried to go before but I think it was my fault we were late, so we missed the train. But we decided to go another time and Serena came with us. This was an interesting experience. I didn' t know what to expect or the feeling I would have being in a concentration camp. The train ride wasn't really too long, but long enough you wouldn't want to walk(important later). So we depart the train station in Riga and Greg notices a nice graffiti(sp?) tag on a concrete wall. Pearl Jam was spray painted. I was very excited about this. ... read more

Me, Greg, Kelly, Steff, Steffs Mom, Laima. A very fun outting. Climbed a giant hill. All in all, was fantastic. ... read more