Part 6: Troyer's Take Prague

And then…. There were FIVE.

Picture this:

All the Troyer’s…

In the same location…

At the same time…

Not in Haven, Kansas…

Wild, right?

Being my parents’ and Mal’s first time in Europe, they can finally relate to all my Kansan struggles I’ve been talking about for the last 4 months!!

Last week, Meg and I traveled to Budapest and Berlin and may or may not have drank our body weight in mulled wine; either way, I’m not wining about it ;). Budapest was even more beautiful than I remember. All the Christmas markets and lights just really topped everything off. Also, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that the Parliament building is probably my favorite building out of all the cities I’ve visited throughout Europe; it’s literally breathtaking, even more so at night. We took some killer pictures during our time there; stay tuned if you haven’t already seen them! In Berlin, our hostel beds were so comfortable, we almost didn’t go out and see the city, but despite the freezing cold weather, we managed. While there, we toured the Jewish Memorial Museum, which was incredibly heart wrenching and humbling as you can imagine. If you haven’t seen or heard of this museum, I encourage you to look it up. There’s a really cool meaning behind the design of it all. We ended our trip with one last stop at our favorite Berlin café and came back to Prague to join our parents, Mal, and a million other tourists!!

And when I say a million, I’m not exaggerating. There are so many people here. It’s kind of like the Kansas State Fair but times 5, and not in Kansas, and much prettier, and better food, and cold. So really, it’s nothing like the state fair other than the mass amounts of people.

So far, we’ve walked around Old Town Square and Christmas markets, went to Charles Bridge, toured Prague Castle, did a walking tour, gone to the Palladium (mall), and eaten LOTS of food. My parents are absolutely in awe of how inexpensive everything is. Honestly, I’ve become so normalized to everything here, I kind of forgot how new certain things are to them (public transit, Czech crowns, layout of the town, time change, etc), which is kind of funny because I feel like it wasn’t long ago that I was writing about how uncomfortable and different everything was.

Oh how the time fliessss.

*sad*

However, I’m hoping my parents will catch the travel bug that I am trying very, very hard to give them (hehe). Because, I’ve had the honor and privilege of exploring all these different cities and countries, and while Prague is absolutely amazing, it’s just one tiny, itty bitty part of a very, very big world, and I want them to experience more of that. Because traveling is good for the SOUL, you know.

Anyways,

It feels so, so good to be back annoying all my favorite people : ), and we have lots more planned in the upcoming days!

Stay tuned!!

xx

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Part 5: Wangry

wangry/wan – gree/ adj.:

feeling or showing anger or irritability due to lack of wine

My passion for wine has significantly increased since moving to Prague.

Along with cheeseburgers and sprite.

Don’t ask. I don’t know. Europe is doing weird things to my taste buds.

And wanger is a real thing. Is it hereditary? Maybe. Ask my mom. (Don’t worry, I’m not becoming an alcoholic.) All in know is that you can catch me at any time of the day thinking about one of those three things. And yes, I am consuming an unhealthy amount of calories. SUE ME.

It’s fine, though. Due to my school’s wonderful lack of air flow, I sweat most of my calories off in class. It’s great. My upper lip has never looked better, honestly; a constant state of glistening.

Anyways, aside from super tough life here in Prague, ya girl put her first solo trip in the BOOKS. Yeeeee.

I booked a last-minute bus to Berlin, Germany, and it was one of my best decisions yet. While it was kind of groggy and wet most of the time, I wasn’t mad about it. Everything looked so mysterious and artsy; very pretty. I walked around to most of the national monuments, and it was really nice to just explore at my own pace. I tried currywurst and mulled wine for the first time and OH MY GOD. Do yourself a favor and put that at the top of your Christmas list.

For reference, currywurst is German originated and consists of fried pork sausage covered in curry ketchup, and mulled wine is a traditional Christmas drink in Europe. Its hot red wine mixed with various mulled spices like cinnamon, vanilla, etc.

Need I say more?

I also visited an optical illusions museum. Left with a headache, but I’d do it again.

Berlin was an absolute dream. I loved it so much that Meg and I decided to change up our travel plans to fit Berlin in for when she comes to visit! So as of now, our plan is to fly to Budapest for 3 days, then fly to berlin for 3 days, and then bus back to Prague to meet up with Mom, Dad, and Mal.

I’M SO EXCITED.

However, part of me doesn’t want that time to come yet because then my study abroad trip will officially be coming to an end and

Waaahhhhhhhhhhh.

That’s going to be a sad, sad day. Ew, I don’t want to talk about it.

Anyways.

I’m headed off to Florence tomorrow morning to drink more wine and eat my body weight in pasta. : ) Low key hoping I come back with a curly mustache.

Stay tuned!!

x

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Part 4: Flowers and Rainbows

You know when you’re like, “Wow, I think I kind of have my life together!! I actually know what I’m doing!! I’m in such a good place!!”, and then that really funny thing happens when the world is like, “Haha 😊 Psych!!”. You know what I’m talking about? Isn’t that so funny!! I love that for us.

So, I came to the realization recently that being on basically a four month “vacation” does not shield you from the negative aspects of life.

I also realized that I am never going to know what I’m doing. With school. With relationships. With emotions. With life. Adults? A scam. And no, I’m not meaning that in my usual ‘I’m being overly dramatic’ type of way. I mean there’s no blueprint for life. There’s no “right” way to do things; there’s no “right” way to feel things, regardless of any social norms. And I think that’s one of the greatest misconceptions in life.

Everyone is battling their own battles internally, and I’m going to go do something kind of ~crazy~ and share mine.

Spoiler alert: sometimes I’m not having as much fun in my pictures as it looks. Sometimes I get sad, even if I’m in one of the most astonishing places of the world. In fact, just yesterday I was struggling to even have one singular positive thought. While I was so grateful and appreciative of the beautiful city I was in and people I was around, my emotions were on full blast, and I honestly just wanted to be cuddled up on my basement couch watching a movie alone. I was starting to think something was wrong with me for a little. Actually, who knows, there might be. (Kidding, I’m perfect. Clearly.) I became really anxious, and I was stressing over

e v e r y t h i n g,

the smallest details, which overall caused me to isolate myself because that’s my default when my emotions are on edge. It was my best and worst day yet; a very weird feeling to wrap my head around.

However, my point-

While being abroad has been one the most rewarding and eye-opening experiences, I want my future self to remember that this journey wasn’t perfect. There weren’t flowers and rainbows every second of the day, even if my pictures say otherwise. I knew this wasn’t going to be easy, which is why I did it. However, I think that I need to stay true to myself and not just recognize all the pretty parts of this adventure, which is why I wanted to give a little reminder from me to me (and whoever else needs it):

You’re feeling what you’re feeling for a reason.

Acknowledge it. Reflect on it. Learn from it.

“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”

And that’s. the. TEA.

Now, moving on. Let me fill ya in, since it’s been a minute.

Amsterdam highlights:

· Visiting the national holocaust museum, a very emotional and heartfelt experience. I highly recommend.

· Getting wine drunk on a late nigh canal tour, so freaking pretty (and not just talking about me).

· Touring the countryside of Holland which included me discovering my new life goal: HOUSE BOATS. Actual houses, but floating.

· Visiting a few small villages and the windmills to see how oil paints are produced.

· Touring the cheese and clog factory!! Sadly, I did not buy a pair of my own, but I did spend a solid $42 on cheese. 😊

Budapest Highlights:

· First and foremost, staying in a party hostel. An experience in itself.

· Seeing all the BEAUTIFUL scenery Budapest has to offer including the shoe memorial.

· Spending all day at the thermal baths, which I will be installing in my future back yard.

· Reuniting with my beautiful Serbian, Mili. <3

· Finding our way on another party bus. Hahahaha.

· Meeting a very friendly Aussie who, and I quote, “Fawkin lavs ya.” And also stealing his scarf, thanks Ryan. Lav ya.

· Having the best chicken burger of my entire life that I still have dreams about.

Croatia Highlights:

· Snorkeling on an 8-hour booze cruise.

· CLIFF JUMPING.

· Catching golden hour every single night and morning.

· Eating some quality chicken and French fries.

· Being in the presence of the making of Game of Thrones (even though I’m not a true fan and have only seen the first three seasons).

· Staying in some of the cutest Airbnb’s I’ve ever seen.

At first, I thought that Amsterdam was my favorite trip, but looking back, I’m undecided. They’re all literally so freaking incredible in their own unique way, and I’m OBSESSED.

This last weekend, I went to Moravia, which is about 2.5 hours away from Prague, and got to see a different part of the Czech Republic. It was green hills and valleys, and it almost felt a little like home, minus the hills and valleys. We wine tasted, ate lots of really good food, toured a tea factory, and did a day trip to Vienna. A fantastic weekend with fantastic people.

But I think this novel is long enough, so I’ll wrap it up.

Talk soon : )

xx

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