Bonjour from Saumur, France!

Bonjour! I have safely arrived in Saumur. I think that yesterday was probably the most surreal day of my life. Traveling across Europe from one country to another for ten + hours on my own! The day started at about 4 a.m. when I took my taxi from my campus in Bologna to the train station. I boarded my train which left at 4:32. The train was packed and it was a struggle to get my huge suitcase up the stairs-- it sat awkwardly in the aisle because it really wouldn't fit in the luggage area! I slept most of the way and my train arrived in Milan at about 8 a.m. I was able to easily figure out the Metro system and take a subway to another station in Milan to connect to my next train. It was so strange to be on my own looking for directions but it really wasn't too stressful. I did drag that suitcase up and down several flights of Metro stairs (but thankfully many nice people saw a gal in need and helped me carry it). :)

In Milan, I connected to my longest train which took me all the way to Paris. Thankfully there was a luggage shelf right next to my assigned seat that fit my suitcase perfectly. I ended up sitting next to an 18 year old girl who was half French and half Italian. Her mother kissed her goodbye on the train and sent her off to see her Dad in Paris. Her English was very good and I spent a good bit of the train ride talking to her about American culture, differences in education, and even international politics. She was so smart and fun to talk to. Of course I would end up next to her! She even called her Dad in the middle of the ride to ask him the best way for me to change train stations in Paris. So sweet. It was so surreal to watch her speak in French about her American friend who needed directions. The most surreal day of my life!! The train also made me motion sick. That was the downside. I was facing the opposite direction of the way we were traveling which made me quite dizzy. I probably looked awkward but I decided to turn all the way around and face the back of my seat so that I wouldn't feel dizzy. Finally, seven hours later, we landed in a rainy afternoon in Paris. The train station was huge and busy and this was probably the hardest part of my trip. Had to figure out the metro to get to Montparnasse, a different train station. But I figured it out and managed to get my bag there too. Always a triumph…

I was relieved to see my train number next to "TOURS" on the Departure sign. I waited there to find the platform number and then boarded my third and last train. This one was only about 45 minutes but I somehow fell asleep. I looked out of the window once I woke up and saw my friend Lizzie across the station. So amazing to see such a familiar face!

Her family met me there and immediately took my bag. They are some of the kindest people I know and I'm so grateful for them inviting me here to stay. We had a wonderful dinner (I was so hungry) in Tours and then drove for about an hour to their rented home in Saumur. The home is absolutely gorgeous. It's called "La Maison Blanche" and everything is in white-- EVERY single thing! It's amazing. Her extended family is staying here for a month on vacation. They've had several family and friend visitors and I think they enjoy hosting people here. They've already taken such good care of me. Lizzie and I are sleeping in the very upstairs attic room of the house. But it is still unlike anywhere I've stayed… Beautiful queen size bed and so rustic.

I slept like a baby-- ten straight hours and I don't think I moved once! So good to get rested with a familiar family.

Today is pretty relaxed but tomorrow we head to Normandy (the five of us-- Lizzie, her parents, her brother Edward and me) to stay there for two nights and then back to Saumur. I'll be here until Saturday when I'll head to Paris before coming home.

So grateful for every part of this amazing summer experience,

Jenna

Last Week in Bologna

I can't really believe that these five weeks are coming to an end. The time passed slowly in some ways--but in others, it seems like I just arrived! These past five weeks have been so rich in so many ways. I was telling my roommate Meagan that I think we packed in just about everything we could in these last few weeks. 3 countries, classes, an EFL course, countless meals, and so many memories that I'll take back with me.

I remember thinking about this trip several months ago and wondering if I was really up to it. So much fast paced change, new environments, new people! And being on the other side of it, I can safely say that I'm so glad I did it. I'm proud of myself for taking on this new experience and building new relationships and learning about new cultures. It's such a gift. It's going to be strange to enter back into my stressful-Jenna world back in the States. But the biggest thing I'm hoping to take back is the commitment to do things for me- not just for others or out of obligation. Life can get so hectic and it's easy to feel bogged down into the schedule of chaos and stress. But here in Italy, I've been able to learn new things, explore new territory, and also relax and laugh. There's a beautiful rhythm of life that I hope I don't forget. Maybe coffee isn't for a speedy burst of energy in a plastic to-go cup. Maybe it's for sitting down, enjoying conversation, and soaking up every moment. As cheesy as it sounds, my short time in Italy has been a much needed rest for my soul and body.

I've also loved meeting others from different parts of the world. It reminds you that America isn't the ONLY country around (surprise!). It's been so fun to compare accents with my Australian friends at the dinner table or discuss a new idea with a participant in the EFL course from Pakistan. Italy is such a hub for travelers from all over the world-- and it's been wonderful to glimpse a bit of that.

I've also learned that I'm a tough traveler! My direction skills are still pretty bad but I've learned to be patient and flexible even through challenging times. I never expected to deal with allergy problems here but I've worked through everything on my own and stayed relatively sane through the process. I trust myself a bit more after the trip and I think that's good.

It's amazing that you really can be sad for people to leave after knowing them for only a short while. Our student life assistant Mary Jane left today and we all met at the reception area early this morning to say goodbye to her. She has lived here for a whole year and worked for the program. She's so smart and kind and it was sad to see her go! She was the first person to greet me and said "I'm stronger than I look!" when I questioned her decision to carry my heavy suitcase. Every day she's asked us what our "high moment" and "low moment" was. I won't forget her love for questions and REO Speedwagon-- and her ability to give great advice at a moment's notice. She's headed to the London School of Economics to work on her Masters. I know she will be great!

This is our English as a Foreign Language teaching team. Such a good group-- all of the girls brought creative ideas and hard work. Our class attendance really dwindled by the end of the 5 weeks (combination of summer schedule and culture differences) but we were still able to hand out certificates and celebrate with gelato this week. Great experience! 

This is our villa that we stayed at in the Italian Alps this weekend. Really beautiful place. Ken and Kali (Americans) hosted us for the weekend. They have a beautiful home. 

The hydrangeas grow wildly in the Alps! 

A group of my friends (USA, UK and Australia represented!) visiting San Luca, a church at the top of a hill in Bologna. 

This is Piazza Maggiore, the largest piazza in Bologna. They were setting up the cinema-- a silent film with a live orchestra. So beautiful. 

The Bologna train station-- Took this picture to remember Bologna as my wonderful home base in Italy! 

On Sunday, I'll take an early morning train from Bologna to Milan and then from Milan to Paris and then Paris to Tours, where my sweet friend Lizzie and her family will pick me up. I'm so excited to spend a week with them before returning home. I'll update when I can! 

Ciao and thanks for reading,

love,

Jenna 

Croatia and Bosnia: Part 2

After our trip to Mostar, we headed for a three night stay in Sarajevo, Bosnia. This was a really neat town. Very tourist/pedestrian friendly. During our stay here, we got the chance to visit the U.S. embassy. We had to go through pretty intense security but had a meeting with the political counselor from the US who advises Bosnian government officials. He was really open to all of our questions and gave us a lot of background on the problems the government has had since the war. We also got to visit Srebernica, a memorial site where 8,000 Bosnians were massacred  in 1995 (the largest genocide since WWII). This was a very sad day. We walked through the cemetery where the bodies are now buried and watched a short documentary film that showed the stories of some of the refugees. The United Nations was present at the site but was unable to protect the Bosniaks from the Serb forces. It was sad to see but also important to realize that something so terrible should never happen again!

Split, Croatia 

We spent our last few days in Split, which is right on the coast. This was a beautiful few days. Me and my two friends Meagan and Alyssa took a pretty short ferry to a nearby island called Hvar. It was absolutely gorgeous. Good place to relax after a long and tiring week!

On our last day in Split, something kind of unexpected and scary happened (and I figure it should still go in the blog). I was eating lunch with a group in Split and had a pretty severe allergic reaction to something that I ate in my meal. We're still not sure if it was shrimp or something else that I'm not used to but luckily I was with a group of adults who kicked into action mode and quickly the paramedics arrived to administer a shot of epinephrine which is an allergy blocker. Luckily I was completely okay but it was still a bit traumatic. I've tried to take it easy the last few days and continue to rest up. Now I know to be more cautious about food when traveling. Not an ideal situation but God was watching over me-- I was with a group of adults and the director of my program knew how to handle things.

All in all I'm pretty pooped from the trip-- it wore me out in every way! But was ultimately a good experience and lots of good memories came from it. I can't believe that I only have two weeks left in Bologna!

Sending love and hugs,

Jenna

Croatia and Bosnia: Part I

Hello again!!!

I'm back and safe in Bologna after a very long and wonderful ten days. It's going to be hard to sum everything up from our tour (so bear with me) in one lengthy post. I'm so grateful for this experience. I just can't believe that I am lucky enough to travel and see beautiful places and experience God's presence in new ways. And learn things that challenge and develop me. It's truly such a gift.

Imotski, Croatia 

After a smooth ferry ride to from the coast of Italy to Split, Croatia, we took a bus to Imotski-- a smaller town in the mountains. We took a large, air conditioned bus throughout the week which was actually pretty nice. Dr. Waller has friends here that we stayed with for a few days. Their names are Sanya and Domigoi, and they were very kind to host 20 college students in their home! They also know so much about the politics of the region and helped us get a glimpse of the complexity of the war. 

In my journal I wrote: It's almost difficult to describe how beautiful this place is. Words can't do justice to describe the way the house peers into the mountains or the way the crystal blue water sparkles from the lake just down the way. Sanya prepared us lunch when we arrived-- it was sort of like a pot roast. Then we hiked down to the lake and tried to swim--but the water was freezing! All in all, I have felt my body and spirit really relax here-- more relaxed than I've been all school year. It is such a holy and restful place. 

All of our meals were home cooked by Sanya. She only uses fresh ingredients from her garden. 

Helping prepare a Croatian dish called Burek! 

Mostar, Bosnia 

After a couple of blissful days in Imotski, we crossed the border into Bosnia and drove into the town of Mostar. Mostar is a beautiful

historic town that is known for it's bridge--which was bombed as a target by the Croatian Catholics during the war. We got to stand on the bridge and tour around the town with Dr. Waller's friend Aida-- who is sassy and smart. We ate great food and got to poke around all of the market shops near the bridge. We then ate dinner at Aida's home. She and her husband Mustafa roasted a lamb for us for dinner--right in front of us! What an experience… Made it through it and the meat was  tasty. Aida told us a lot about her experience during the war. She is committed to bringing Mostar together (as it is still divided into a Catholic side and a Muslim side--two hospitals and everything). She was really inspiring.

Tour to Croatia and Bosnia Begins

Hello everybody!

This will be a quick post and I don't have any fun pictures to update just yet. I've been doing really well since I've been back in Bologna. I've met some awesome people in the last week and got to eat dinner out with them last night-- students from Australia, the UK, and more. Fun people! I've been soaking up my time here and realizing that it will fly by quickly!

Today we board a ferry for Croatia. We will tour Croatia and Bosnia and talk to refugees, community leaders, and religious leaders to learn more about the war in Bosnia that happened in 1993 (the year I was born!) I'm really excited to see the beautiful landscape and experience the culture there. I think it will be a great trip. A good time to reflect and learn more about something so important.

I hope to have some wifi to give updates but I may not have access to the internet. But when I return I will have tons of pictures and reflections on what I learn there!

Sending all my love!

Ciao!

Jenna
Here is my itinerary so you can have an idea:

Wednesday, June 4, 2014      Tour to the Balkans Begins

The tour will be a review of the peace and reconciliation initiatives in the region. The tour brings students to the homes of local Croatian and Bosnian families who share stories of their lives during the 1990’s war and their visions for the future.  This is a unique opportunity to meet face to face with local activists and religious leaders working in a region that is rich in history, exploding with a vibrant arts scene and is abundant in natural beauty comparable to America’s Rocky Mountain region or the Caribbean’s pristine waters.

1:45 PM Departure to the Balkans  -  Sleep on Ferry Boat / Please bring a sleeping bag

• Meet at the Bologna Train Station Lobby at 1:45 for a 2:22 Train Departure to Ancona

Train departure for Ancona where the group will board an over-night boat for Croatia.

Thursday June 5  (Imotski, Croatia – family home stay)

• Early afternoon arrival in the town of Imotski.
• Afternoon hike in the Imotski region – tour of Illyrian tombs.
• Evening Discussion:  Introduction to Croatia led by Domagoj Nikolic. Mr. Nikolic is a resident of Imotski and owns a vineyard. He worked for many years as the director of the American Refugee Committee in Belgrade and later for a US owned security operations company in Iraq.  He has degrees from the London School of Economics and the University of Rochester. Mr. Nikolic teaches at the University of Rochester in Dubrovnik.

Friday June 6 (Imotski, Croatia – family home stay)

• Agenda to be determined

Saturday June 7, 2013  Mostar, Bosnia Herzegovina

Perspectives on the past, present and future of Mostar.

• 11:00 – 1:00 PM: Community tour and discussion led by Aida Omanovic.  Ms. Omanovic has worked for various international relief agencies since 1994.  She has organized a meeting with Muslim leaders in the divided City of  Mostar.
• Lunch on your own
• Evening: A traditional Bosnian meal will be served at the Omanovic home in Mostar.  Ms. Omanovic will provide a lecture on her divided City and prepare the group for the next day’s meetings.

Why Mostar? Mostar was the most heavily shelled city, in all of Southeastern Europe, during the wars that followed the break-up of the former Yugoslavia. The suffering in Mostar was horrific from 1992 to 1995. Initially a Serbian force shelled the city from the eastern hills killing thousands and forcing even more from their homes. Croats and Muslims combined to expel the Serbs but shortly afterwards became adversaries. The Croat forces took over the western bank expelling Muslims and the city became divided along the river. To this day the City remains primarily ethnically divided between Catholics and Muslims.

Sunday, June 8, 2013 (Morning in Mostar – late afternoon arrival in Sarajevo)

• Morning (45 minutes from Mostar) Visit to the Serbian Orthodox Monastery
• Mid afternoon – departure for Sarajevo
•  (TENTATIVE) 6:00 PM: Peace and Reconciliation lecture led by activists and scholar Friar Ivo Markovic.  Friar Markovic placed himself in harms ways throughout the war in efforts to model forms of non-violent intervention in efforts to stop the fighting between Catholic, Muslims an Orthodox Serbs.

Monday, June 9, 2013 (Sarajevo)

• 10:30 AM: Meeting with Chief Political Officer Edward Bestic at the US Embassy Sarajevo
• 3:00 – 4:00 PM: Meeting with Muhammad Durakovic. Mr. Durakovic survived the Srebrenica massacre in 1995 and now works for the International Commission for Missing Persons (ICMP).

Tourist Site: In Sarajevo, Muslim minarets are now predominant in a town where Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Christians and Catholics once lived in harmony. Alluring Baščaršija (Old Town) is a mix in with cafés, artisan shops, and trendy bars. The New York Times recently listed Sarajevo as one of the 20 most up and coming cities in the world for music and art. Tourists are astonished that a nation that has suffered so much killing has produced a city with such vitality? In the 1990s this was a city and people on the edge of annihilation, but today it has become a favorite traveler destination. 

Tuesday, June 10, 2013 (Sarajevo Hotel)  

Day trip to the village of Srebrenica and the United Nations site at Potacari.

In June of 1995, Serbian military forces executed 8300+ Bosnian Muslim boys and men.  The town of Srebrenica had allegedly been set up as a “safe zone” by United Nations forces.    UN Soldiers stepped aside watching as Muslims were led to their mass graves.   We will meet with survivors of the massacre.

• 8:00 AM departure  – 5:00 PM return to Sarajevo

Wednesday June 11 and Thursday June 12, 2014    Split, Croatian Coast

• Wednesday - Long Bus Day
• Late morning – visit to the religious site of Medjugorjie.
• Wednesday early evening arrival in Split, Croatia. 

·       Why Medjugorje?  In 1981, a year after the death of ex-Yugoslavia's communist dictator, Josip Broz Tito, events in Medjugorje, a small town in Bosnia-Hercegovina, began to stir the Christian world. Six Croatian Catholic children-four girls and two boys, then aged from ten to sixteen-claimed to have experienced visions of the Virgin Mary.  Thirty-three years later, each year fourteen million religious pilgrims from all parts of the globe come to the small village to pray on the site of the apparitions of Mary.   

Friday, June 13, Split, Croatia  (Evening Ferry Boat Departure back to Italy)

• Friday – day at the beach

• 7:00 PM-  we will board the SNAV ferry boat for our return to Italy 

Tourist Site: Croatia, specifically the Dalmatian Coast, is consistently rated as one of the world’s most scenic destinations (Lonely Planet Guide, National Geographic, & Nature Magazine). The coast consists of 1185 islands with pristine waters.  The final two days of the tour are set aside for exploring the Adriatic seaside on the dramatic coast. Croatia is relatively unknown among Americans but is widely viewed by Europeans as the continent’s number one beach destination.

Saturday, June 14,   Arrival in Bologna

• Mid-afternoon arrival in Bologna

A Weekend in Venice

Hello! Well it turns out that I actually spent the last weekend in Venice. My roommate and I weren't originally planning to go until we realized that the whole group (all 17 people minus us) had decided to do it. So only an hour before the train left, we packed our bags! Pretty spontaneous for me. We stayed in a hostel with four other people from our group. The train was only 10 euro and took about 2 hours. 

Our hostel was outside the island of Venice so we had to take a ten minute train into town each day. We met several other adventurous Americans in the hostel and it was interesting to see so many people traveling. Venice is definitely a place to see. What a beautiful place! I was blown away by all the canals-- it really is a magical place. We had great weather-- perfect for a light jacket but not too chilly. We walked a lot in the time we were there. The island is pretty small but so many tiny, confusing streets. Eventually we found the St. Marco Square which was breathtaking-- it is right a long the coast of Venice and you can see all the boats at the port. 

The only downside was that it was very crowded while we were there- so many tourists and the food was a bit overpriced. I sort of missed the low-key vibe of Bologna. But so glad that I got to see the city built around water! Today we took a free walking tour which was amazing. Our tour guide did a great job. She told us that there are only 60, 000 Venetians living on the island and 60,000 tourists there every day! This has become a bit of a problem as the city has become such a hot spot. She also gave us great tidbits of historical information (which I love) and it was neat to hear the story of the city. It's amazing that ancient Romans built a city like this on top of the mud of an island. So it did feel a bit packed. But so lovely to sit along the water and wander through the streets and canals. The city was the most peaceful in the evening. 

We didn't do a gondola ride because it was too expensive, but maybe next time. Glad I got to see another part of Italia!

This was one of my favorite views--this photo looks photoshopped! 

I took this picture while I was sitting at the port on the edge of the island. What a view!

This is St. Marco basilica in the main square of Venice. It was so massive and beautiful. 

This is our whole group in the main square with the bell tower behind us. That tower was originally a light house to guide the trade ships into the port. Fun fact… 

This was one of my favorite views of the main square-- such a massive piece of architecture. 

I'm pretty pooped after a long weekend and plan to get some good rest. Tomorrow we have classes and  my normal volunteering schedule. I hope to have some good updates after that. Still taking everything in and trying to enjoy it one day at a time. Miss you all!

Ciao!!!