San Diego

If you haven't heard, this is a summer of winging it. I don't know who my (30!) housemates are, what the grocery store is called or where it is, have only a vague understanding of how I will get my body from point A to point B and have no idea what I will be doing at work. The one person I know well will be about 45 minutes away. Also, is it really going to be 55 degrees? Things I know for sure and am thankful for: they speak English, there will be sunshine, and I am going to be just fine. But, still. It makes a person anxious. As I planned my trip to get to California, I realized I needed to do something to remedy the anxiety. And after some thought I figured out what, or rather who, it would be: Ellee and Sam. Ellee and I have been friends since I was 14 years old. She is one of my most favorite people in the world and I thank my lucky stars for her, or rather, she might just be a lucky star. About a year and a half ago (I think), Ellee married Sam, who is equally as special. They currently live in San Diego, and I thought, what better way to embrace California than seeing Ellee and Sam? I thought it couldn't get any better until we figured out that Santiago would be able to come down from LA and join us. Needless to say, it was a wonderful weekend.

Ellee

Encinitas Beach

After the beach, we had a drink at the Modern Times Brewery. It was awesome!

We ordered the taster which was a little bit of four different beers.

Happy happy happy

Then, we headed home where Ellee made us a delicious dinner.

Since Ellee and Sam are musicians, Santi had a chance to play some music. 

Ellee practices marriage.

Hangin' out

We ended the night with paleo vegan hot chocolate (yeah, that's a thing) and watching a movie.
I fell asleep in five minutes of course. 

And then the next day, Santi and I went on a mini roadtrip to get me to the airport. SF and Berk, here I come! 

Summer Twenty-Fourteen

I've been a little bit uncomfortable about starting up my blog again. I don't know... I have just read so many, well, stupid travel blogs lately. Posts full of bad writing and/or whiney, overdramatic and vague ruminations about how their beautiful trip tested their character. I mean, poor you. Really. Any time I started a draft for the first post of the summer, I cringed at anything I said that may be along those lines. I'm even kind of cringing now, but at least I'm being honest. And maybe those girls were being honest, too, and I should get over it. That's what I'm trying to do here: get over it (and my own self-righteous judgements ha), take some photos and have a good time. That was my goal in the first place, that and to keep my friends back home in the loop, so onward! Here I go again.

This summer I am fortunate enough to spend my summer in Berkeley/San Francisco, California. I am doing an internship at the Foundation for Sustainable Development in SF and living in a coop, Wolf House, in Berkeley. Both will be wonderful experiences -- I can tell already. By my side, I've got a new camera that I have rapidly fallen in love with. Santiago will be in Los Angeles, so I will get to visit him there. And, hopefully, I will get to spend some weekends exploring other parts of California.

But first, photos from my family trip to Italy (Rome then Florence):

This lil' piece of swag. 

And Florence:

Thank you to my parents for helping me so much regarding my summer! I couldn't do it without their support. And thank you, friends, for reading this here and supporting me in this way. 

Love,

Lan

Cesky and Murphy (my two favorite things)

I realize it's been a few days, but a siege of first world problems has overtaken my life. Let me complain to you for a moment, will you? First off, I'm sick as heck. Before you pity me, which I hope you do, you should be mad at me. Who gets sick on the first day of Europe trip and ignores it for 2 or 3 weeks? Idiots. And me. Second major tragedy: my computer is dead. It's a goner. I was watching a film during a pity party, and all of a sudden, I heard a sound like a light bulb going out and then my screen went black and then I smelled the delicious smell of burning plastic. Woe is me, woe is me. Now that I've explained myself (whined), let's get down to business. I am having a wonderful time. My flight back home to Houston is in a week from tomorrow, and I can hardly believe it's all ending so quickly. I am so sad! But, I can't wait to see the mama and the papa and the Ryry and the friends and Chago. And breakfast tacos. And Barton Springs. And APA. I'll stop.

Mini-photo stories! Here they come.

Last week, we spent three days in Cesky Krumlov. Cesky Krumlov is where I think heaven is. I probably already said this on my silly academic blog, but it's a magical place where there is a castle, chummy townspeople and yummy, yummy food. Think Beauty and the Beast but, you know, better.

I have a knack for finding parks.

The castle had a moat of live bears. In the castle, there are bear rugs made of the moat bears. All died of natural causes. 

Great basil martinis. It is kind of an unofficial tradition for the Doc Photog Maymester group to get them when in Cesky.

I mean, I just had to. He's so dang cute.

Me dying in the art museum after the pubic hair exhibit. As in, a woman made all these drawings that seem to be pencil drawings, but she really just arranged her pubic hairs on a canvas a bunch of times.

The best thing that ever was, the mirror maze. As mentioned on the other blog, a bunch of classmates and I went into this maze with Dennis, his wife and two children. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. I laughed, cried and lost my mind. I mean that.

This was really common. Maybe an art exhibit. I'm not sure, but it was weird. Not as weird as pubic hair art though.

After Cesky, I took a few days to relax and take it easy. Unfortunately this means I barely took any photos, something I am now regretting. HOWEVER, a wonderful thing did happen on Saturday at 2:01 pm. MURPHY CAME TO VISIT ME FROM BERLIN! It was a most wonderful thing. Her visit was not nearly long enough, but we got in some quality time. Here's a photo to prove it!

 

 

 

Ain't she grand?

I will do better at that photo thing I'm supposed to be doing here and will leave you with this,

More soon, I hope. Thank you to my parents for this trip!

Lana

Gratitude, Compassion

Last week, we went to what used to be the town of Lidice. To give you a quick recap, it was a town completely destroyed by the Nazis for essentially no reason one day. All the men over 16 were killed, the children either killed or "Germanized" and the women over 16 sent to concentration camps. What resides there now are monuments and a museum in a huge, beautiful (eerily so) park. After visiting the museum and walking around, we had the opportunity to sit with a survivor (she was the youngest "woman," 16 and two months, so was sent to a concentration camp) and listen to her speak about her life and then ask questions. It was so moving. They asked us to write them and talk about our experience there, and this is what I said:

Dear, Ms. Sklenickova,  

I hope this message finds you well.

At the end of our wonderful discussion with you, you asked us to write you about our experience in Lidice. I looked forward to doing so, because it was an opportunity to express my gratitude to you and also my growth from the experience.

Coming to Lidice was, in one word, heart-breaking. Observing the ways in which humans destroy each other tears the heart into pieces. However. I realized after coming to Lidice that compassion is born of this kind of ache. Compassion in the form of sympathy and empathy unites us and pulls us forward and away from the horror that mankind is capable of. This is why I thank you endlessly for telling your story to us and sharing such an intimate part of your life with countless strangers. Compassion does not justify destruction nor does it redeem it, but it seems to be the one good that comes of it. And the good that comes from compassion? Well, I don't need to describe the way compassion changes the world for the better. That's what I am getting at: I am thanking you for making the world a better place by instilling compassion in your listeners every time you share your story. It is a sacrifice I cannot imagine, so I thank you again and again. 

I took this photo of a boy and his family during my visit to Lidice. The scene of the boy playing while in the background you see his family and the cross representing those who were killed really moved me, because I couldn't stop thinking about how, in a way, you have helped give this boy the simplicity of this moment. By sharing your story, you have given him and all children a chance at the happy and simple childhood everyone deserves instead of the heartache many face. This is nothing short of incredible.

Thank you, and I wish you and your family well,

Lana

Half-Way Mark

So, my trip is already halfway over. This is so sad to me! I feel like it's been a wonderful and fulfilling two weeks, but I want more, more, more. I know that "more, more, more" is certainly what I'm going to get what with our packed schedule, but still, I am just getting comfortable here. Alas, the second half will be even better than the first.

Here are my photo mini-stories. I am finding they're the most fun way to tell you about my trip.

Cafe Louvre is a favorite amongst my classmates. Apparently, famous folk like Kafka and Einstein came here, but we just like it because the food is relatively cheap, they speak English and it's pretty delicious.

How I want my retirement to look like.

Wrote a blog post on this on my other blog. The photo speaks for itself.

You guys. The parks must be my favorite thing here. They are, and I mean this literally, almost magical. I feel like I'm in a fairytale when I walk through them. They are gorgeous and forest-like and incredible. There are these cottonwood trees or something that are...what? Shedding? This means it looks like it's snowing, and everyone is out and about and happy with their beer and children and families and rollerblades and kissing and friends and dogs and basically all things that make the world an easier place to live in.

Good god, the dogs here are so weird. I mean, they're normal, but they're extremely well-behaved. Maybe it's because I work at a shelter, but it's very, very weird to me. I mean, it's great, but it's strange. They walk off leashes and don't jump on you when you walk by or bark at other dogs.... It's so weird. But it gives me hope for training a dog in the future when I have two Great Danes.

Our walk to class sort of through the park. Very different than UT...

Another park scene

So, that's my favorite stuff that I've been up to. MISS YOU ALL.

Thanks to my parents for this trip!