The Russian Federation (Prague, Czech Republic)

Passport Photos..........150 Czech Koruna ($8.75)

Metro Passes..............180 Czech Koruna ($10.50)

Tourist Invitation.........1600 Czech Koruna ($92.75)

Visa to Russia.............3360Czech Koruna ($194.75)

Entrance into Russia....NOT PRICELESS 5,290 Czech Koruna ($306.75)



This entire week or at least that's how it feels I have been hiking all the way to the Russian Embassy. Let me go back and just say a week prior to leaving the country I unfortunately found out that Russians are not to fond of visitors. This makes it incredibly difficult to enter the country. You must obtain a Russian visa before hand. All of this I was told a little late. With three available days a U.S. citizen can mail off there passport to a for-profit organization who will take care of all the details for the outrageous price of 300 dollars. Wow, I thought to myself. How about when I am in Prague I just pick one up at the Russian Embassy that would be easy. Wrong. And then you think about the whole situation in more detail, laying out the facts. The first of which is that Russia is brutally cold all the time. How about a high of 25, sounds about like Michigan. The second is that they have pretty much isolated themselves from the rest of the world, its appears to be in the middle of nowhere. The last is its cold and living in the south has dropped my cold tolerance making me weaker. Most of you are probably thinking like me why not just skip that country and check out Spain? Well that is really where the issue starts. I already have an airline ticket to Russia and one out of Russia. I decided during one of my many trips back and forth that forfeiting the money already invested simply was not an option.

Alright then, I am in Prague trying to get a Russian Visa, which was certainly a frustrating endeavor filled with inappropriate words. Let me lay out every step I took. The first in my mind was to visit the United States Embassy hoping that the kind Americans there could tell me if my idea was a realistic one. We actually did not meet a single American, funny right and a little scary. They did inform me that I should visit the Russian embassy which was our next step. This was on Tuesday. Everything was locked up. Over an intercom all one Russian could tell me was "tomorrow 9am", "tomorrow 9am". The following day Wednesday we realize we need a passport size photo which of course I did not have. After we spend an hour or two trying to find a place to have my picture taken we finally arrive back at the embassy at about 11:30. I enter the embassy and asked the friendly security officer about visas and he points me into line. After waiting in that line for about 15 minutes he finally hands me an application seeing that I am about to apply for a visa without the necessary forms. This is where it becomes frustrating. As I am siting at a desk the apparent "visa specialist" whom I would like to refer as an A****** tells me that the embassy is now closed. All I needed to do was sign the piece of paper. I pleaded to no avail. He sent me out of the building crying (not really but that sounded more dramatic) to come back tomorrow. You would think once you were in the building you would be good. This ended up not having much of an overall effect. On Thursday, we headed back arriving with plenty of time. The office is sadly only open from 9am to noon. On this day we walked up to the door with confidence only to find out that you need four items to even be considered. The application, a copy of your passport, a copy of your insurance which thankfully I have, and invitation from a for-profit company that says basically that they are inviting you to come visit. Which is ridiculous and I still don't fully understand. For my 90 dollars all I received was a piece of paper that I could not even read. Again the same person told me not so kindly that I needed this invitation. He was a real jerk. Not only that he rejected me but more because he did it with no compassion. I hope his lack of friendliness was because of our language barrier. I hope Russia is not filled with similar men. We walked up the street to find an agency conveniently located, who provided the invitation. Then for the fourth time my application was accepted after dropping more money. He asked "when would you like to pick the visa up" and I said "today" and he said "NO" and I said "why not today" and he said "against federation policy" and I said "tomorrow?" and he said "9 to 12" and I said "OK".

Four days, five trips, and a few extra miles walked. I do think now that the whole ordeal is pretty funny and has a pretty good parallel to the rest of my life. Anyways if you plan on visiting the frozen tundra far east please let me know so we can talk about the process. And I firmly believe the verdict is still out on Russia...maybe the experience will end up a priceless one?

"Guinness is good for you" (Dublin, Ireland)

 

On Saturday, my first day in Ireland I went to my first rugby match. With Ireland hosting South Africa. The whole experience reminded me a lot of a proffesional football game in the good old USA. The whole approach to the game was surprisingly unique though. At three seperate times I had to show my ticket. And this was before I even entered the staduim. The local garda or police shut down the whole neighborhood blocks away for the staduim itself. No cars. No people without tickets. There is also an inner layer again with people checking tickets. Its really crazy to witness a huge area of town compeletly shutdown, especially if you are a lost vistor with no ticket like me...58 euros later I got lucky.    

The next day I finally learned how to spell the word Guinness. It's pretty tricky to get it right. Drinking the stout  on draught here is so fresh. It's creamy, smooth, and tastey. But not too hoppy or thick. Here are some facts I learned on my tour:

Yeast turns the natural sugars in grain and fruit into alcohol (thus a huge part of the process for both beer and wine).

In 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000 year lease for 45 £ a year.

3 million pints are brewed daily.

My favorite part was learning how to pour a pint. To pour it correct you start with the glass at a 45 degree angle, filling halfway. Next you pour straight down the middle filling it almost to the top. Leaving you with a foamy head about the thickeness of your thumb. Topping it off is the last step. They tell me when you pull down orginally this is when the CO2 mixes in but when you top it off you push the handle up releasing only beer. And that is how you top it off!

Map and itinerary (Columbus Ohio)

Hey,

Over the next few weeks and months I think this journal could be fairly entertaning and at times a bit comical. My hope is that through my travels my faith would be strenghted and that I would grow into a deeper intimacy with Christ. I am also hopeful that the adventures showcased here would inspire us both to live life more abudantely.


Listed here is a detailed map, check it out. Just cut and paste the link.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=100509988605925677208.0004792995c7fd3c0cb1f&ll=60.413852,-167.871094&spn=50.725934,173.144531&z=3

As I thoroughly scan over the globe it's hard to not feel a little overwhelemed by the vastness. All the boarders I have to cross and the unique languages to comprehend leave me with nervous feelings. Then on the other side I feel incredible joy and excitment for all the "once in a lifetime experiences" coming my way. I am really looking forward to all the new freindhsips, the food (of course lots of local flavor), and embracing the out of my comfort zone feeling that will come with unfimilar cultures. With that said, I know that I will face many quality challenges but I also know that if I live with an interdependence on God all will be well. I hope you enjoy!