Back in the USA!!!!!

To catch you up, the Vatican was absolutely AMAZING!!!!! I really hope I will be able to go back someday and spend more time there. It really is something you have to see for yourself to appreciate its absolute beauty...it amazed me so much...definite highlight of my trip. The last day we went to the Colusseum and the Catacombs-I learned a ton! Then yesterday I got on a plane from Rome to Frankfurt, then a 9hr flight back to Detroit.

I had an incredible experience the last 20 days and I am so thankful for all the people who supported me and had faith in me along the way. The trip meant so much to me and I had an outstanding time and learned so much. I can't wait to show you all my pictures and movie that I will make!!!! Thanks guys!!! :)

Peaceout!

Love, Emily

Italy!!!

Florence was sweet yesterday! U really don't know how big and amazing the statue of David is until u r right up close to it yourself. Also yesterday I bargained a shirt from 8 euros down to 6!!! Pretty sweet. Today we were in Pisa ... Saw the leaning tower, had some incredible gelato... Best thing I've ever eaten. And now I'm in my hotel in Rome!!! Wow! Tomorrow I'm going to the Vatican!!!! I am so excited!

Updates

Sooooo a lot has happened since I last was on here. The survivor from the holocost was amazing... He spoke german and had a translator but he had some great things to say. Then Monday we toured the city of Vienna on bikes!!! Really fun. Then we went to prater amussement park... Unfortunately we only had a half hour to ride rides... But we had to pay for them so I only went on the ferris wheel. Then we drove a while to the town of Freisach... Where we enjoyed an entertaining dinner and mideivel games... And then what originally concerned me was that we had to sleep in tents!!!! That was definitely not on the itinerary... But it turned out to be fun. We had a bonfire and marshmallows and the next morning was beautiful. Then we drove to the small town of sirintz ...where a very nice lady made us apfel strudel... Which I'm not kidding ive eaten that everyday I have been in Austria. But it is sooooo good :). We got to see a typical Austrian farm and a water mill- you can drink any water in Austria because I guess it comes straight from the mountains so it is all fresh and it tastes really really good. Then everyone got to throw a wish down the river which was a real sentimental moment. Later we drove for 7 hrs on the cramped bus to Italy!!!! Yes I was so excited that I finaly made it here, but everyone was complaining because we kept getting stuck in traffic- not to mention we were in the middle of cornfields and there was traffic. People stayed pretty entertained on the bus though by putting makeup on the guys and playing charades and stuff. Last night we arrived at the hotel at 11:45pm. Wow long day.
Today was incredible though. Unfortunately had to wake up at 6:30am but we went to Venice so I was good!!! It was amazing. Beautiful place. The streets can be very narrow and crowded but it was so cool to cross the bridges to get from place to place and to ride in a gondola!!! So much fun. :)
Tomorrow were going to Florence to see the statue of David!
Talk to you all soon!!!

Concentration camps

Today I said goodbye to my homestay family which was kindof sad because they are all so nice and I don't know if I will see them again. Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with them though. Then we drove to the concentration camp... Mauthausen. Never seen anything like that in my life. I was sick just looking at the rooms and what had happened. So sad. Now I'm sitting iin a hotel waiting... For an hour and a half for the interview with the survivor from the holocost to begin. Should be interesting.

Definite Cultural Experience Day

my mind is overflowing right now with all of the culture i have been exposed to today and my entire homestay experience. there is way too much to tell on just one blog. Today i woke up early and went to the supermarket with tina and Hans (homestay family) and they had never tried peanut butter before so they bought that and tried it like a sandwich-i think they liked it. lol. this morning for breakfast they gave me a hard boiled egg with the shell still on it...little did i know i wasnt supposed to peal the entire shell off, instead only the top and spoon out the rest...so they thought that was very funny. also they thought it was funny that i dont eat the yellow stuff (that was still liquid) inside the egg. they are learning a lot about Americans as we are learning a lot about them...so cool. then tina, elise, and i made weiner shnitzel for lunch and also apfel strudel...very good...wish i could bring some home to you all. :) then we went to watch some volleyball matches...but it wasnt professional or anything-just people who wanted to play for fun. OMG then we went speed gliding down a mountain...WOW definite highlight of my trip-you were in this bobsled thing and pulled up the mountain on this track, then you just slide down on the track-i think it goes up past 45 mph -wow that was SOOOO fun. Then Tinas parents picked us up and we went strawberry picking. Then Regina (mom) took me to church-ok that was a bigger highlight of my trip so far. it was amazing. of course i didnt understand anything because they spoke german but the mass was pretty much exactly the same Catholic mass that i attend at home...so it was cool i knew which prayers they were saying and stuff...so i said them in english. :) then i experienced more austrian culture later this evening and overall it was a super day-i am going to really miss Austria-if i could go back to one place it probably would be here. My homestay family is so nice and the people here seem nice too...and of course it is a beautiful place to live... the only thing that bothers me is that everyone smokes (luckily not my hostfamily)...but everyone else does. its part of their culture i guess. i am learning a ton!!!!!!
tomorrow though i am going to Mauthausen (sp?) ...the concentration camps. Then we have one more day in Austria, and then we are going to Italy!!!!
"Grews Goht"
(God greet/bless you) which you would normally say at the beginning of a conversation but oh well :)

love Emily

Amazing Austria Adventure

wow!!!! today was a super fun day in Austria. woke up at 5:45 am and got on the bus with Elise and Tina and rode for an hour to her school. we had to switch busses three times and met other Austrian students on the way. This is when i really began to notice the cultural differences between them and Americans. for example at the age of 16, they are allowed to smoke (and drink) so yeah there are a lot of cultural differences, including fashion, they hug and kiss each other quite a bit, etc...it was tina´s last day of school, so all they did was get certificates, but it was cool to hang around students from austria. then we took the bus (note: not a yellow school bus) to the city of Linz and went shopping!!!!!! we ate chinese food - all you can eat for lunch and then went to see the movie Bruno....please please i warn you not to go see that movie!!!!!! lol it was soooo fun though to hang out with everyone-kids from our delegation and kids from austria. then i ate an amazing dinner that Regina made for us...it was an omlet filled with ham and cheese...soooo good i will make that when i get home!!!!!
wow very fun day today. now i am SOOO tired but i am looking forward to tomorrow!!!!!!
peace

love Emily

more from austria

also something I forgot to mention that happened today... in Salzburg, I bought myself this amazing donut-pretzel...so yes grandpa I have eaten a donut in Europe...best thing i´ve eaten in my life!!!! wow that was so good!!!!! ok i just had to write that!
bye!!!