Every journey starts with a step...

So I have proven myself to be a most unreliable blogger... And I apologize! I really do hope that one day I'll have time to go through and document some of the amazing experiences I had in Vienna. It absolutely baffles my mind that I am now talking about this semester in the past tense... Is there any way time flew that fast?!? And now here I am starting a whole new adventure on my own. I can't begin to find the words to explain what an overwhelming myriad of emotions are flowing through me right now! I am about to explore practically an entire continent, and I am doing it mostly alone. There is no use in pretending that I am not a little terrified... But I am also so filled with this sense of curiosity and adventure. Everything I am discovering feels so new and full of wonder! Whoo- sorry I let my cheesy side get the best of me there for a minute... Anyway, I think I will start at the very beginning (it's a very good place to start...) Man I just can't help myself tonight! Something in this polish air... Oh yeah, did I mention I'm in krakow? ;) but I will get to that in a bit... Let's start with last night. I left my parents after a wonderful week of traveling with them around most of western Austria. Hopefully more blogs will come on that topic. I was feeling a little rushed because I had plans to meet up with some friends before officially heading out... So as per usual I was running late. In some ways I am glad I had a little distraction from saying goodbye to my folks... Even with the rushed goodbye I couldn't help but get a little choked up. It may be a little Corny, but I really do feel like this semester and this trip has been a major turning point in my life. Saying goodbye to my mom and dad last night felt like I was really taking the responsibility on to my shoulders of being a real independent adult. Whoa. So I shouldered my pack and went on my way! I met Abby and Luke in the ubahn station and we got smoothies and shared some last laughs. I have been so blessed by the amazing people that have come into my life, even if it is only for a short time. At 22:30 I boarded my night train and found my sleeper and waved to my dear friends until they were out of sight, just like the movies ;). Now... This is where the story really gets started. I found my car and discovered itty bitty bunk beds, 3 high, and I took my pick. Well there was mistake number one. See they are apparently very concerned that you sleep in the correct bunk... So when they came around collecting tickets at about 1am, I was the source of many tisks tuts and sighs. My second mistake was not requesting a cabin with females. (which apparently you can do). I ended up with all guys... Who snored and farted all night long. No joke. I thought I was going to kill someone. Also, adrenaline from my trip, very uncomfortable beds, nervousness about waking up in time, and extreme heat kept me from sleeping much anyway. BUT, on the plus side I was able to make a friend almost the instant I set foot on the train. Stefan is from Canada taking a year off to travel, and he is about my age! We ended up grabbing breakfast together when we made it to krakow since it was too early for either of us to actually check in to our hostels. The reason I mention this is because I find the idea of traveling alone both scary and a little lonely... But I have already been making friends left and right. I think we may be going on the same tour to Auschwitz together tomorrow as well... My other new friend is a slightly strange story... He is probably 40 something and a Russian documentary film director named Vlad. He had the entire hostel in absolute hysterics this morning with his sunshiny attitude... Oh so many steriotypes broken... He is here to pitch a movie idea about these doctors in Serbia who work on a boat and move from village to village... Or something like that! :P I love meeting people and hearing their stories. It's amazing what the simple question "so where are you from?" can start! And all of this before 11 o' clock! So anyway! It was pouring rain when we arrived and hasn't stopped since really... Blegh! But I decided to disregard the wet and go on a free walking tour of the city. Our tour guide was a lot of fun and I feel like I actually got a really good feel of the town- plus a lot of great history and folklore. I also met a girl named Tammi from Australia (she may also be going on the tour tomorrow). AND, talk about a small world, I met an older couple visiting here to hike and bird watch, and they are from Colorado! Honestly that was the last demograpc I expected to see in Poland of all places. After the walking tour I was cold and soaked to the bone, so I headed back to the hostel. I got all checked inand then went for a late lunch/early dinner. I found a little place that served Pierogi, which are little polish dumplings filled with all sorts of deliciousness! Some are meat, some veggies, and then there are Russian ones (Ruskie) which are filled with a potatoe and cheese mixture... SO GOOD. It warmed me right up and made my tummy super happy. I know this post is getting super long so I will try to wrap it up... Krakow as a city is not really what I imagined it would be... Much of the old town is in need of restoration, which in some ways gives it a very REAL feeling, if that makes any sense. I think one of my biggest culture shift issues so far is feeling so completely useless at the language. And it's not like I will be here long enough to learn much other than maybe hello. Dzien dobry (jen do-bri) for those of you who were wondering :) So I keep reverting back to German... But in this case I think English may actually be more helpful. Oy! Tomorrow I visit two different concentration camps and get to see a little of the countryside. I'm trying to prepare myself for a pretty intense day. I'm taking the night to just get my life organized and get ready for the insanity of the next six weeks! Sometimes you gotta risk it to get the biscuit!