Trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

During whole last week I had my friends from Nebraska here, so I didn't have time for writing posts. I was exploring a night life in DC and having fun with my friends. It just reminded me how much will I miss some people I've met here... Well, unfortunately my friends had to leave DC on Saturday morning, so I tried to disperse my sadness through exploring new places. Saturday afternoon I visited great (but overcrowded - it's most visited museum in the world) National Air and Space Museum and National Botanic Garden. On Sunday Bob, owner of house where I'm staying offered me if I don't wanna go to Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, famous for it's fighting history. And I wasn't against...

Gettysburg is one of the biggest battlefields in the US and a place that raises lots of emotions. At this place the armies of North-Union and South-Confederation met which led to bloody battle where many people were killed or injured. This battle took place July 1-July 3 1863 and Union won. This battle is considered like a breaking point of Civil War where South slavery states were defeated...

Gettysburg lies in Pennsylvania close to border with Maryland, hour and half far away from Washington, DC. It's neat and small east coast town. However, you can see the bloody history of this place all around. There is a big cemetery in the town with buried bodies (or just ash of bodies, because there were so many corpses that they didn't have time and room to bury all of them). And in the countryside around the town, on the places where the soldiers died there are many (at least tens, maybe hundreds) monuments and memorials for these people. Perhaps every troop from different states has its own monument. And in addition to it, every fighting state has it's own memorial. Especially Pennsylvania one is huge and amazing.

This is typically American I would say. They appreciate everybody who fought for their ideals and freedom. We have hardly main monuments for all the people killed in different wars and they have memorial for every person killed. Well, it's possible here, because America hasn't seen many conflicts on its homeland. Which you can't compare with European bloody history.

Gettysburg-battlefield

Greetings from Washington, DC

So, I'm finally here. In the capital of the USA, the center of politics, neat city without so typical American skyscapers but on the other hand full of museums of different types.

Camp finished on last Sunday, August 12th and we were leaving the facility next day, on Monday morning. I don't like saying good buy, but this went pretty smoothly. I forgot about worse things that happened in camp and concentrated to say goodbye to people I wanted. And even to people I firstly didn't want to, like to Jonesy, cook from kitchen who I didn't have very good relation with. He thanked me for good job, but it can't so easily fix what happened (well, it wasn't so bad, just annoying sometimes). We left later than we were supposed to and in addition we stopped in another camp to drop some guys who are working for a postcamp there now and in the town in the bank so some guys could withdraw poor money they earned ;) That's why we got delayed, which was for me, Tom and Vita, other 2 Czech guys pretty bad, because are bus from New York to DC was supposed to leave in 1:30PM. Well, we got close to Port Authority, main NYC bus station at 1:20 and we were running to find our bus. Very nice experience, especially when I need have to piss sooo badly...

At the last minute we found our almost leaving bus and we got on the board. And thanks God they had a bathroom in there, so I didn't have to destroy the glass to get out of the bus, because it was really very urgent. Anyway, I'm not gonna annoy you with my past urinal problems ;) So, after four hours ride we got to Washington. And fortunately there was Bob Doubek, I was supposed to stay with in DC, waiting for us. We dropped guys in their hostel and continue to my new home. We stopped by the Tomas Masaryk Statue at the Embassy Row Street. Bob is a president of organization called American friends of the Czech Republic and he was also director of building of this memorial to first Czechoslovakian president. Bob is very interested older guy among others interested in the Czech Republic, with Czech heritage and working for American government. He was a projector of Vietnam War Memorial, one of the most important memorials in DC. All around his house there are pictures with Clinton, Gore, Havel and other famous and important people.

We are leaving in neat family house in beautiful (and probably pretty rich) neighborhood with his 22 years old son James, James's friend Jessie who is attending college here and Bob's friend Bob, the director of golf courses. All of them are very nice and interesting people. You can check out some pictures of our house and my room:

(btw. about work and other things later, now I'm going to bed to be fresh for tomorrow)

The right house is ours.

Back of our house.

Well, this is little messy, but it's still my room ;)

Pics from Pittsburgh

Lot of work and just little time for other things. It caused that I'm posting so late.

Anyway, we have 5 more days to spend in the camp and on Monday morning I'm leaving for Washington and on Tuesday at 11AM I have to be on an Embassy ready to start working. I can't wait to get out of here and try to live in the capital of the US. I'll be there just over month so I'll try to get from it so much as I can. We'll see what's gonna happen there. I'll keep u updated.

And here enjoy the pics:

Pittsburgh

Random thoughts

Today, I'm in such a lazy mood that I'm even lazy to think of what to write here. But in the situation when I haven't written here for a long time I'll try to make up something what can help u orientate what's going on with me those days...

Why not to say it loudly - I'm starting to be sick of this camp and can't wait moment when I leave. I'm not just this type of person who follows orders of others without thinking and this is sometimes expected here. All those rules you have to follow and all those people u have to allow to. Some people here are just so damn and envy (OK, I'm here for the first year and I'm doing work which belongs second and more timers, but if I can manage it, why not?). But on the other hand there are very nice people who I can talk to and they keep me in a good mood. And of course, I'm leaving for Washington, D.C. for my internship in 11 days, which I can't wait for. I'll be able to move around without restraint and do whatever I wanna do again...

And what else does keep me positive? Oh yeah, awesome days off when we can get out off the camp and travel. Actually, in couple hours we are going to Pittsburgh, second largest city of Pennsylvania where is our camp. We plan to stop by in some outlet mall close by as well. Sooo, raise your drinks we are HITTING THE ROAD AGAIN!!!