berlin and good days

greetings! i went to Berlin this past weekend friday through monday. what an incredible city. so much history, art, people, and good times. i really can't put into words the things that we saw and did. it was a scheduled/included trip for the Landscape Architecture students, and the fashion students had the opportunity to join us as well, which almost all of them did. my professor, Fernando, has done the trip to Berlin for the past x number of years, so he definantly was a fantastic guide for us. we saw sooooo many things and had soooo much fun, it can't be put into words. ill try and work on putting pictures on the picture website, but cant promise when they will be up (time and effort).

but in other news... my tuesday was superb, here's how it went:

i just saw thehighlights of tiger's putt on 18 on sunday, and that got me super pumped. i mean, really pumped. really really really pumped. then i checked my email, and what do you know, i find out my dad got a hole in one! holy cow, what a good feeling!!!!! add to that that the temperature was finally warmish! i went running with blakeley and we both wore shorts and a t-shirt and it was amazing! i actually wore shorts for the first time the whole trip (a little overzealous, its cold in our building, but i had to do it, couldnt help myself, it was pushing 60 degrees outside!) we had a language class that was really amazing, we just spoke sentences the whole time and talked about holiday practices in prague etc and just had a really good class in general. what a great day! tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer!!!!!!

so maybe some more about Berlin: it was the most incredible city. we had such a good time, saw so many things, and took in a LOT of history. my brain is fried, really, from taking so much in. standing in checkpoint charlie was very powerful. i dont think ive ever been in a place that contributed to the happenings of the world quite like that before. seeing the wall - well, you can imagine how that drove home everything. it was just - incredible - too see all the history and learn about the oppression that the people experienced, but still see that it is a really thriving 21st century city that respects its history but pushes for the future. the art in the city was unlike anything ive ever seen, it was just so cool. there was graffitti alllll over the place, large murals on almost every building, and sculpture etc everywhere. definantly had a something that ive never seen in a city before. so cool. i am very happy. very happy.

i am going to amsterdam on thursday with 6 other fashion students!!! i am flying in on thursday at 5pm and leaving on monday at 12noon. we are very very pumped, and are really looking foreward to walking the beautiful city. they are really awesome girls, and i think - no, know - that it will be amazing. i think these two weeks may be the best two week stretch ive had - ever? berlin for 4 days, prague for 3 days, amsterdam for 5 days, then back to prague. i dont think it gets better than that. but time will tell (i hope it gets better, i think it will!)

sports update: we were able to locate a bar in berlin on sunday night that was showing the basketball games, so we got to watch both of them (ugh, unc dominating). also, we were able to go to a bar in prague recently to watch the acc tournament (and see UNC lose the game that jorge and kristilyn went to!) so we have not been totally deprived. also, cbssports online offers a live HD feed of the games, so we can watch the games via internet (good for the early round games, but bad for now, because they are in prime time and thus at a time when we wont be able to watch) also good for the masters final round! we do have internet at the hotel, technically, but it only works for maybe 2 days out of 5. so hopefully on master's sunday it will be working and i can watch the final round (it won't be on at 4 in the morning,yay! finally a sports event that has to happen in the daylight (but thenagain, tiger made his putt in the dark!)). if its not working, franky, i will 'cut a bitch'. watching the ncaa games this weekend will be very difficult, they will be on LATE, but we will hopefully have internet and watch (one of the grad students got his degreeat unc, so its been everyone rooting against him watching the games, ha). any other events i should be aware of? they arent advertised very much here, so im kind of out of the loop until they are happening.

also, i found out that my favorite band, Widespread Panic, announced their end of summer/fall tour and they are playing two nights in Charlotte October 3 and 4, and then in Raleigh for October 11! annnnd, it just so happens that october 3 is one of my best friends (steven) 21st birthday! so that's how we'll be celebrating, definantly.

life is good.

terry