The Longest Day in My Life

Once upon a time there was a girl.  This girl thought she was a hardcore traveler and that flying to Europe really wouldn't be that bad.  Then that girl found out yesterday that flying across the globe is actually just has hard a people say it is! Thankfully, I was with some of the best people ever that made the trip bearable, check out this team!

I have to tell you that those to beautiful, baby girls were less whiny and slept better than most of us adults!!

This is the original ceiling to the grandstation on the outskirts of Prague. 

The 8 hour plane ride was actually easier than the rest of the journey yesterday But we did see some amazingly gorgeous sites will traveling through Prague and to Brno.

The entire city is built like this, I walked around all day looking up to see the incredible structures

Lunch was probably the best meal I have had abroad. Salmon with Czech style mashed potatoes.  Massive portion sizes and so, so fresh and tasty.

The train window was breathtaking, but I was too exhausted to take many pictures

It was the 3 and a half hour train ride with (barely any A/C)  that was an hour and a half late to the station that pretty much broke all of us.  It was in the low 90's in Prague yesterday so we were hot, running on very little sleep, and sick of sitting down.




This is just a small snap shot of the shenanigans that went on in that train.  We were so wiped that at one point, every little thing struck Ammygray and I as hilarious. so we proceeded to laugh and cry hysterically for about ten minutes.  The delirium was real. You can imagine that the other passengers were trying to figure out what those loud Americans were cackling about.  We finally crashed last night at 11:00 in our hotel.
It is currently 6 oclock in the morning here in Brno, making it about one in the morning back home.  My scheule is so thrown off, I actually woke up at 5:30 without an alarm because the sun rose at 4:00.  So confusing.  Anyway, I know this is a short update but my brain is still a bit jet lagged so more happenings later I will post.

Until next time!!

Nine Days Away!

      Fun Fact:  I am currently freaking out because I am off to Europe in nine days. If you listen very carefully you can hear my internal screaming even from far distances.  Many of you reading this probably just giggled but I assure you, I am typing this with a straight face.  But seriously, (as serious as I can get anyway), I am getting pumped up and ready to go as I plunge into my final week of preparations for the up coming trip.  Packing, lesson planing, meetings, shopping, and so much more craziness is on my list of things to do this final week state side.  With all of the afore mentioned tasks begging for my attention, I do not have much time to inform all of you lovely folks about every detail of my prep, (not that you would even want to know), however I did want to take a moment to say thank you for all the prayer support I have received.  If you are willing to help me finacially, there is still time, and you can send a check to:

Oakwood Community Church

11209 Casey Rd

Tampa, FL 33618

Be sure and mark it with "CIERRA JONES: CZECH TRIP" so the funds are designated toward my expenses.

I'll be posting regularly from here on out so be sure and check back often to keep up with my adventures!  (And next time there will be pictures).

 

Back in the Airplane Again!

Hello Awesome People!

   Roughly two years ago, I embarked on an adventure to Guatemala and interned at a malnutrition center there.  I fell in love with traveling and meeting new people and this year, I’m at it again.  This time, I am zipping off to the Czech Republic (C.R.) across the pond where I will be teaching at an English camp.  Now, just in case any of you are like I was, here is a map showing exactly where the C.R. is located, because…well I had no clue.

 

Some of you might be relieved to know that I am not traveling alone on this trip, I am ecstatic to announce that my Ammygray (my grandma for those of you unsure of what crazy word you just read) is also on the team I will be traveling with.  There is so much information and excitement to share, but I’ll stick to the basics for this initial post.  Firstly, my team and I will be gone for most of July and will be spending time in Prague and Brno.  Secondly, our main job while in the C.R. is to build relationships with unbelievers attending the camp as we teach and fellowship with them.  Teaching English overseas has been one of my life goals for a long time now, so this opportunity to try it out is directly from God.  Finally, I’m not there yet and I need help to make it.  This support is twofold.  Please pray that the team will have unity in all decisions and that each person who God calls on this trip will be able to come.  For me personally, I ask that you would pray for God to prepare my heart and hands to serve on the trip.  As of right now, I am the only musically inclined person going on the trip so in addition to my teaching, I will be responsible for the worship aspect of our time there.  The other side of support needed is financial because, sadly, there is no student discount for traveling.  (Wouldn’t that make the world a more beautiful place?!)  If you would like to help me get to the Czech Republic this summer, you can send your tax deductible donations to:

Oakwood Community Church

11209 Casey Rd

Tampa, FL 33618

Be sure and mark it with "CIERRA JONES: CZECH TRIP" so the funds are designated toward my expenses.

Thank you all in advance for your love, prayers, and support.  Be sure and "Czech" back (wink wink) for more updates and news about my adventures this summer!

Signing Off!

Cierra

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Hello one last time everyone,
  I know, I know, it's ridiculously late to be finishing this last blog post when I'm already back in the states.  But I just wanted to give all of you my final thoughts on my trip back home.  The flight was long and boring and baggage claim was a disaster but I guess that is what's to be expected when traveling out of the country.  However the most difficult part for me was not the actual travel, but the goodbyes.  I don't think I have ever had such a difficult time saying farewell to such a wonderful group of people.  The day before I left, Rachel and I participated in heart-wrenching farewells and we basically ran out of tears.
  But even as I cried my eyes out, a realization hit me.  Growing up, my favorite movie was Mary Poppins.  I loved Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke and the music, and the story line, and just everything about the movie.  The only part that bothered me was the ending.  Mary leaves the kids and that stupid parrot umbrella tells her that they are going to forget her, after all Mary did for those kids, they are going to forget her and move on with their lives with their parents.  It always bothered me but in a very depressed moment as I walked down the steps of the center, it dawned on me the similarity of that scene and the situation I was facing there in Guatemala.  I finally understood why Mary was perfectly fine leaving behind the kids she loved so much.  Because she loved them she knew that it was the best thing for them.  It may seem obvious, but making the connection between the two situations was a major eye opener for me.
  The main thing that God taught me while I was in Guatemala is that it wasn't about me.  Just like in my Mary Poppins analogy!  Working with the teams, nannies, and kids was one of the most spectacularly stressful experiences of my life, and the best part was turning out a more humble person.  This experience taught me how to love and serve people no matter the situation and I can't be more grateful for the lesson. 
  All of you could not have been more supportive of my journey and I can't thank all of you enough and I hope that when I go back all of you will tune back in to follow my adventurous adventures!!
  Love you all so much
  Love,
  Cierra 

Antigua in All its Glory Part II

Good Evening my readers!
  I am so sad that my time here in Guatemala is coming to a close but I have such fond memories of my time here.  All these pictures are a huge part of those memories so I hope you enjoy them!  These first ones are of the church we visited on Sunday.  The video of the baptism is super cool to me because the girl (Rosa) should not have been there that day.  You will hear the pastor say something about it being remarkable that Rosa could be there to be baptized that day, that's because Rosa just recently had heart surgery.  I didn't get to hear her full story, but I know God is working in her life and she was being obedient to his call for her to be baptized.

Camino's Cafe is a cute little shop Rachel and I got to visit and pick up some coffee from.  It is a business of the church and they are doing a great job.

 This is the outside of the hotel where we stayed the weekend

This was the "soccer" field the guests can play on

It was getting dark so sorry it was a little blurry, but I had to show you all the amazing lucious plants growing all over the outside of the hallways and rooms.

The lovely Olivia!

Sunday night, we headed out to Hotel Rosada to celebrate Alejandra's birthday.

These two creepy guys greeted us at the door

This was the menu

This is a candle (and I'm Captain Obvious)

I promise this is just my lemonade

The BEST fetuccini I have ever put in my mouth, it was made with cream sauce and fresh shrimp and crab...yummy

Alejandra got her very own pinata and tres leches to celebrate

 

This was one of the lanterns I told you all about in the last post! Isn't it beautiful?!

Love
Cierra

Antigua in All its Glory

Hey everyone!
  Tonight is a little bittersweet as I begin the daunting task of packing my things to head back to Arcadia.  Laundry mode is switched on and my back is killing me from hanging it all up in my room one last time.
  As promised, here is part one of all my photos from mine and Rachel's stay in Antigua. Bear with me as you scroll. The rest of this post will be in the captions of the pictures.  First, the Mayan temple ruins:

The large circles of sky used to be covered by domes on the roof

My personal favorite section of the temple, the fallen pillar

I was there, and saw this with my own eyes.  I still don't believe it can be real.

There are some obvious modern amenities... ahem, the trash can photo bombed me...

Most of the arches still consist of the original brick work

Excuse the water bottle...

The guide did not tell us where these door lead

A plaque dedicated to the history of the temple

Down down down into the catacombs.  I couldn't take pictures down there because it was soooo dark.  But let me assure you it was not at all creepy, just awesome.

A good perspective on just how tall the arches are

I think this looks Microsoft background worthy

There were pigeons EVERYWHERE

Me, Rachel, and Olivia (one of our lovely translators)

Now for the Chocolate Museum!

Dreaming of chocolate perhaps?

Pablo teaching us the evolution of the chocolate bean through the cooking process

Pablo showed us how his grandma ground the chocolate beans

The best way to open a coco bean pod? Smash it!

Pablo showing us how the Mayans dried out the coco beans

Olivia was taking a ton of pictures of us...after the 10th pic of Rachel and I, this was our reaction

The chocolate got EVERYWHERE especially on Casey's fingers

Lots of flavors to choose from

Caught red-handed...

Time for the refrigerator

The finished product