From the first day of the trip, we had all been looking forward to the day when we would get to spend the whole day at the beautiful beach without a care in the world.  However, Mother Nature had something else in mind…it rained all day.  Our first stop was to the Palanga Amber Museum, the largest in Europe. We were able to see some stunning amber jewels and fossil resins.  The stormy weather didn’t stop us from trekking it out to the pier. Some stayed at a local café along the way and enjoyed cappuccino and hot coco. After our cold and windy adventure, we stopped for a bite to eat at a traditional Lithuanian restaurant. While there, some students played life size chess to pass the time while our food was being prepared.  After our late lunch we headed back to the dorms where some headed to town to do last minute shopping, while others stayed in to relax and started packing for our journey home tomorrow.

Reflecting back on this trip, we realize that this would not be possible without the hard work and dedication from our faculty that traveled with us. By taking 16 students on this once in a lifetime trip, Dr. Pat Neufeld, Dr. Jim Williams, Dr. Tes Mehring and our student intern, Taylor Relph, show how much they value our educational development and personal growth. From all of us students, we would like to thank them for helping us live more, learn more and lead more. We are able to take on the challenge because of them.

This trip would also not be possible without the support and investment from Emporia State University.  We are so grateful to be part of an institution that believes in their students enough to provide us with this opportunity. We hope that this experience is one that future students will take advantage of.

For those of you who have been following our blog for the past 17 days, we would like to thank you for all your comments and support. We have enjoyed being connected to those back home. Don’t forget to join us on June 22^nd at 3 p.m. in the Sauder Alumni Center to hear more about our travels and what we have learned.

See you in 50 hours!!!

-Natalie, Michelle, Amy and John

Service-learning has played a significant role on our study abroad trip and today, we were able to do our part to give back to the LCC campus. When we first started out, we thought we were going to be painting, moving items and cleaning up around campus. Painting clothes did not quite make the packing list so we settled for turning our least favorite clothes inside out to tackle this project. However, when our coordinator met with us, he informed us that we would be picking up trash around the campus and raking up a rock path around the pond. So our creative painting outfits did not come in handy after all.  

After picking up trash, we decided to venture out to the beach.  We gathered our reading material, towels, and flip flops and spent the day relaxing on the shore of the Baltic Sea. In order to get there, we had to take a ride on the ferry that would get us to the beach. When getting off the ferry, we realized that we needed to play close attention to the signs because we wanted to end up on the “Family Beach” and not the “Clothing Optional” beach.  Luckily we had a group of very good sign readers and we made it to the right beach, where the scenery was amazing!  As we walked along the shore, we collected sea shells, played in the ice cold water, wrote in the sand, took pictures and just enjoyed ourselves.

Following the afternoon on the beach, we met for dinner at an Italian restaurant where people ordered lasagna, pizza, garlic cheesy bread, frankfurter (hot dog without the bun) and french fries. It was very fulfilling!

With our time in Europe drawing to an end, we would like to invite everyone who has been following our blog to join us on Monday, June 22^nd at 3pm as we share with everyone our European experience.  We will be doing a presentation, displaying our souvenirs, and answering questions about our trip. There will also be refreshments following the presentations. The event will take place at Sauder Alumni Center. We hope to see many of you there!

-Natalie, Michelle, Amy, and John

Today, the group got started a little bit later than usual, which we enjoyed very much. We headed to the town square which is about 2.5 miles away from the college. Some decided to get some free exercise and walk there, while others thought it was well worth the money to buy a bus ticket. While in the square, we shopped some small vendors, grabbed lunch and enjoyed the nice weather here in Klaipeda.

Around 2 pm, we met with our coordinator who gave us instructions about where to go for our presentations. Turns out, it was right back in the square where some had just walked back from. We started the presentations around 3pm in an auditorium filled with around 50 Lithuanian students who were juniors and seniors in high school. We introduced ourselves first and then a group of four students gave a short presentation about American Government while the other twelve students dispersed themselves among the audience. After the presentation, the students took part in a team building activity where they were able to see that achieving a goal comes easier when working with others. The second activity created some friendly competition between the high school students and the ESU students. After doing the activity twice, it was obvious the high school students were more successful than us. Following the activities, students were able to talk one-on-one with ESU students to ask questions and learn more about the United States. Overall the presentations went really well and we feel like the students left with a better understanding of the American culture. To see clips from our presenation, check out the posted videos.

After the presentations, some students went to shop or eat dinner on the town square, and others took the 2.5 mile walk back to the LCC dorms to relax for the rest of the evening.

-Michelle McHenry, Natalie Skaggs, John Eccles, Amy Tenpenny

Our first full day in Klaipeda, Lithuania started with the choice of local church services. The group could choose from a Catholic or Protestant service. The students who attended, enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities of the services as compared to theirs at home. Check out the videos to see some of the student’s responses to their experiences.

Yesterday night we were informed of a Cancer Benefit Run taking place downtown today. Around 1 p.m. we headed to the “old town” part of Klaipeda with our guide. We made it to the starting line just in time for our 9 runners to register and join the race. As the race started, those not running cheered those taking part in the 3K. The runners wanted to take part in the 5K run, but we were not able to get downtown in time. During the race, the runners paired off so that everyone would have a partner. As they crossed the finish line, they realized they just took part in a race that included around 5,000 people. Our own ESU student, Marcus Summers, took 1^st place in the 3K, completing the race with a time of 9:26.  

While the race was going on, some of the others in the group chose to explore Klaipeda to see what it had to offer. The night ended with a group of students taking a walk to the beach to watch the sunset.

- John, Michelle, Natalie and Amy

                There we met our guide who traveled by bus with us to Lithuania, which was a 4 ½ hour drive. We made a quick pit stop in Riga for a late lunch at a restaurant called Lido. It was a buffet set up where you paid based upon what you had on your tray. On the outside of the restaurant there was a small theme park for young kids. After eating, we climbed on the bus and started our long bus ride to our final destination.

                As our group was reflecting on our trip so far, we are so surprised how quickly the time has gone by. It is hard to believe that this is our 4^th country in 13 days. For the group this is a very bittersweet time as we see our trip quickly coming to a close.

Emotions ran raw, and there were few to no words exchanged among the group.

As we entered the second part of the camp (Auschwitz II/ Birkenau) we were floored by the sheer vastness of the camp. Much of the camp was destroyed by the SS guards to destroy evidence of the Holocaust. There were several differences between the two camps, Birkenau being a death camp and Auschwitz a work camp. The living conditions in Birkenau were far less humane.

The day ended in quiet reflection. Please look for student reactions from before and after the tours.

Today we met with Susan Parker Burns, the Foreign Services Officer at the U.S. Consulate. She provided some insightful information about her position as well as some encouraging  words for us as leadership students. One of the most interesting pieces of information we learned was that, before WWII, 30% of the populatin in Krakow was Jewish and today they have only 150 jews in the city.

We trekked halfway across the city to hunt down Mary Shivley’s (LEAD coordinator & advisor from the first LEAD study abroad) favorite italian restaurant. Halfway through our delectable dishes, we were caught in the middle of a terrential downpour; we should note that our meals were outside. Many of us enjoyed the opportunity to play in the rain… Thanks to Mary for the recommendation, we heartily approve!

Lacee Hanson, Nikaela Swarner, Sarah Francis and Krissy Boos

From the moment we arrived, we fell in love the architecture and the livelihood of the town. The people here seem to be more around our age, versus some of the places we’ve been. The way people dress is much different because they have more diversity within their styles; it seems to be more relaxed, in general.

The first thing on our agenda this evening was a group dinner where we all enjoyed a variety of pierogis, which is a traditional polish entree. We were all a little bit apprhensive about trying this dish, but the overall reaction was a positive one. One of our peers was celebrating her 21st brithday today, so we all sang “Happy Birthday” to her at dinner.

Our group, as a whole, is anticipating an emotional response when we all visit Auschwitz concentration camp on Friday. There are three camps within Auschwitz, so we will be spending an entire day there. We’re all excited about delving into, yet another culture, and learning about the history behind their landmarks and monuments. Each time we enter a new country, we are faced with a number of challenges. We have to learn about their language, monetary conversions, as well as their customs.  

Please look for two videos we have included of students who are reflecting on their journeys thus far.

Lacee Hanson, Nikaela Swarner, Sarah Francis, and Krissy Boos

We started the day with another team navigating the way through the day.  It was a day of teambuilding.  The day led off with a trip to the Moscow District here in Riga, Latvia.  Navigating the way was a group of fellow students including Sarah Francis, Kristina Boos, Lacee Hanson, and Nikaela Swarner.  When we reached the Moscow District, we found the mood to be more somber.  While the marketplace of the district was bustling with activity, the elder generations there wore a look of hardship.  This district was the main part of the former Jewish Ghetto during the times of occupation until the Nazi’s instituted the Final Plan with the 29,000 Jews who lived there. 
From here we proceeded to Old Riga again to head to St. Peter’s Bascillica where we took a tour and had the opportunity to view the city from  the top of the dome.  The city stretched for as far as the eye could see and was breathtaking.  
Splitting up for lunch, we all took a break until we took a scenic boat ride tour on the Daugava River.  We spent about an hour on the river viewing the landscape of the city and the industrial parks. 

Another break for dinner, and then a socially themed game night, planned by Michelle McHenry, Amy Tenpenny, John Eccles, and Natalie Skaggs.   The game night fostered more interaction within the group to promote teambuilding and to renergize. 
As this is our group’s last posting, we decided to incorporate a favorite quote from each of our members…including our team leader, Provost Mehring.

“I enjoyed the rich culture and getting to partake in the activities, like the tours, museums, and the market.  My appreciation for history has grown leaps and bounds from my experience before this trip.  PS: Hi Mom.”–Lauren Padgett 

“I have to say that I thought this would be a challenge to capture the essence of being in Latvia.  By trying to summarize what we did, I have learned a lot about the city of Riga, the people, and their culture.”–Naomi Gonzalez

“I have loved interacting with my peers and the people of the different cultures.  I have also enjoyed taking in and learning so much because I want to take what I have learned about the past and use it towards the future.”–Eden Tullis

“The experience of summarizing our time here in Riga has driven me to think differently about how I view other cultures.  Every people has a history, and seeing real faces and hearing real stories about the people who were under the authoritarian rule of the USSR brings the Cold War to a new light.”–JonathanKrueger

“I have had the awesome opportunity to learn about the city, its people, history, and culture, through seventeen sets of eyes, ears, and experiences.  It has been enjoyable to observe students processing the information they have been exposed to in Riga. Much learning, many wonderful experiences, and life-changing activities have occurred here.”–Tes

Today we visited the occupation museum. Personally, I learned that the Russians had a lot to do with the invasion in Latvia. Russians had a major preparing the Germans for total take over of Latvia and Estonia. Germans came in and acted as though they were going to save the Latvians from the Russians but in reality they turned and imprisoned all of the Jews. It is scary to think about this because the Germans acted as friends and sent out censored propaganda. This propaganda slowly but surely took away freedoms of the Latvians such as censoring books, indoctrinating children and sending those with ideas other than those of the Germans to be killed or sent to Gulags in the Soviet Union. –Naomi

 Eden Tullis commented that todays’ experience made her feel lucky to be an American. We did not have to deal with the same pressures that we would have if we were to have been born in Latvia. The censorship hit hard because in America everyone has freedom of speech. It made me hold my values even more dearly. I also hold the laws of the Country very highly and it makes me wonder if I would be one of the individuals who would have helped hide the Jews or stood up for others rights.

The tour of the city reminded me that we take very small things in America for granted. For instance: public restrooms, ADA accessibility, and paved versus cobble stone streets. These combined with very narrow streets and virtually no decorum in traffic standards all make for a hectic city. Relating this to my career, choices of public planning becomes all the more critical. These experiences all helped to build a bigger picture of understanding of the culture. – Jonathan Krueger

I personally would have to say that we are tired. This tired is a multifaceted tired. We are physically tired from the 6 or more miles we walk a day and we are mentally tired because of all of the rich history and information that we get on a daily basis. Every day we get the opportunity to try something new and experience a new cultural element. I know that even though I may be tired I will never get this experience ever again. Today we got to experience a walking tour of the city, toured the Dom church, saw the changing of the guards at the Freedom Monument, and as my other team members talked about – the Occupation museum. All of these events are very significant and hold a higher meaning to the Latvians and it was a privilege to be able to learn about it. It makes me think how sometimes I take my history and culture for granted. I do not know as much as I should and my passion for learning has increased because of this trip. Even though we are tired this is an experience we would not soon trade for anything else.–Lauren Padgett