THE HOSTEL WEBISODE 1

Okay folks! We have become what the french would call, a giant loch ness monster - only in french. The Hostel has now premiered on Youtube, and has even spawned itself a few webisodes, the first of which I am eagerly ready to post right here - right now. FACT: The 5-minute long short is delightfully random while maintaining our *distinct* style. Please enjoy the Hostel Webisode 1: Tin Foil!





P.S. I'll be back on early next week for the next blog video! keep your eyes peeled, though not with a potato peeler. that would be bad news bears - as in gigantic menacing bears. Enjoy and have a great weekend! ~K-RIZZLE

VIDEO BLOG: 04.11.2009

HEY ALL YOU PEOPLE OUT THERE IN INTERNET LAND! welcome to another installment of INVICTUS (NOT THE HOSTEL!! - we'll be working on episode 2 of that in the coming weeks!) This blog-video recaps and montages the general experience of the Russia trip. BE SURE THOUGH TO CHECK OUT THE HOSTEL PILOT to see what on earth we were up to for a few days in St. Petersburg...shooting the video and everything. Enjoy the video(s) and have a great week! Say hi to your local deli's meat slicer for me. I miss them always.

~K-RUHF!

THE HOSTEL: PILOT

Hello all you avid fans of whatever you are avid fans of! today we have a real treat! I'm still pulling together the Russia trip blog post, though in the meantime, here's a bit of humor you might enjoy. While on the trip, the guys decided we would spontaneously shoot a parody of the show "The Office" called "The Hostel." This 27-minute long pilot episode was aired here in Lithuania last night, and by aired i mean, we viewed it as a big group and laughed, cried, ate popcorn and plotted the next two episodes. It was sweeter than a monkey carrying a bunch of bananas covered in chocolate. The sound quality isn't great because we only have point/shoot cameras, but the video quality is half decent. Without further adooooooo in a big blue shoe, please enjoy the magic that is THE HOSTEL!

holy chocolate covered hedgehogs batman!

WHY HELLO DEAR WEB-DISCIPLES!!! and family. and friends. and random people who for some reason who are on this site...we still love you. I'm still working on the upcoming video for last week's trip to the Russian Federation, but may I just say that it was as exciting as Lenin's mustache - Man do they know how to rock those things!!!!! In all seriousness though, it was awesome. I'm really excited to get the blog video together and up here. We also did a parody of NBC's "The Office" and made "The Hostel," which episode 1 should also be online soon (most likely here). In the meantime, enjoy the pics! K-Ruhf out. A-town down/across the ocean (all you people back in A-town, please eat a cheesesteak for me. much appreciated.)

Fall break!

Hey all, just in case you haven't seen the latest blog video, I'm off to Russia for fall break. I'll post something up here shortly after getting back (around halloween). Have a great week and I'll talk to ya soon! ~K.

HOLY HYPER GOPHERS BATMAN!!!

As promised, a short video before going to Russia INCLUDING a song for JESSI'S BIRTHDAY!!!!! WAHOO!!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIG SIS! I can sincerely say that from Russia with love. hah! hah...okay maybe not. but in any case, enjoy the video, and have a great week.

INVICTUS ver. 2.1

This week's blog video is up!!! CHECK IT OUT CHECKITOUTCHECKITOUTCHECKITOUTCHECKITOUTCHECKITOUT (yo.)



and be sure to stop by your local 7-11 and get a slurpee on me. I'll be there. and be covered in the frozen confection. It's slurp-a-licious! Also, be sure to check out the creative-writing arm of this site, http://deprofundis88.blogspot.com/

Have a great day, and thanks for checkin' out the site and the video!
Peace like chicken grease.
~K-Ruhf

Video Blog for Oct. 11!

THE NEW FORMAT!!!!

KABIFF! KAPOW! A NEW FORMAT FOR THE BLOG IS HERE! ENJOY!!!!

Chapter Two:

It's a new chapter, without divulging into too much information as this is a blog about being abroad predominantly though also about growing into the people God wants us to be. As such, it is only fitting that family and friends at home understand that our separation was not malicious and there are no ill-feelings; Becca and I are still talking, joking, laughing, and the like. We just felt like God was calling us in different directions in life - and if he calls us back together then it'll be his grace which has brought that into existence. We're focusing on growth here though each of us is growing in different directions. I still will update on the general happenings of things here at LCC, though please pardon me if they do have a "Kevin" slant as we aren't together so I'm not in the know so to speak of everything which is going on a half hour away from LCC's main campus.

This all being said, it's time for an update:
I'm not quite sure what's been going on at Karklu, but I do know that a bunch of people went to watch the sunset last night on the Baltic beaches. I'm told the sunset really fast, followed by Brad spontaneously breaking out into swing dancing (no surprise).

Here in Neumann, Dan, Sara and I ventured into Klaipeda center on Saturday afternoon and explored the sculpture park which was pretty cool. We've also noticed that Europeans in general enjoy their walkways while North Americans enjoy walking on grass; the three of us have had numerous comments made to us as well as various glances directed at us for walking across the grass. Who would've thought ethnocentrism was even found at the level of walkways (well, my guess is Dr. Hummer would've pointed that out, but hey...it's interesting!)

Saturday morning was LCC's intercultural Olympics, where several countries were represented in playing relay-like games similar to the kind you might play at camp or youth group growing up. I think Moldova won, then Ukraine or Lithuania. Becca had been there for the beginning portion of the games, but had to leave for play practice. I filled in with a few other Americans who were spectating in the remaining games; it was fun.

Dan is beating me 4 games to 0 in chess; Roman is beating me 3-2 in pool and has claimed he is the King of billiards. No chance at chess; maybe I can beat Roman one of these days...maybe...

And of course, picture time:

Hiatus

Taking a bit of a break from posting on here. We'll see what happens. Please pray.

And so begins September

One week of classes already gone, as Albus-Dumbledorean as that may sound...but if there's one thing I've noticed with the experience of this European adventure and studying abroad it's that time is flying at a scary pace even on days when there is not much 'exciting' (read: touring) going on. Classes have been great so far: they're gonna be a challenge as there's going to be a lot of writing and reading (perhaps more than in classes I previously had taken). Unfortunately, not everyone from North America has had such luck with their classes. Some friends here have experienced anti-American sentiments from their professors and its not helping with the pressures of living in a foreign culture among different languages and expressions. I've experienced that kind of thing with other students one-on-one, though I can't imagine what it's like coming from an unrealized spokesperson for an academic university.

This week at LCC, we celebrated Ukraine's Independence day; played a bit of Frisbee - ultimate and a variation on the game Horse); studied and went to classes; and watched a bunch of movies after homework was done. Yesterday, Dan and I had breakfast before the Study Abroads left to go to the market in the morning. After the market a bunch of people went to the thrift store, and finally we hung out at Karklu (where Becca is living) until around 8pm. I was happy to hang out with Becca for a lot of that time. Some people watched movies or just chilled in friends' rooms. When we got back, Dan and I watched cool runnings, and that was the day.

Monday, we're celebrating Moldova's independence day, so I'll be back on here sometime to post on that. Hope everyone has a great day/night/time 'til I post again, and take it easy & take care! ~Kev

End of the touring for a while

For this post, I thought I would just catch up on pictures. Today was simply a day to relax before classes begin tomorrow. Around noon, a group from Karklu came over here to Neumann hall and we went into into old city and walked around the Akropolis (the mall) and got Gelato which was really good. A few people shopped for clothes and electronics and such, but mostly it was just window shopping. This evening, before the Karklu dorm left, we went to Iki and got some more food for supper. After supper with Roman and Lena (my room-mate and his girlfriend), we went to play soccer but unfortunately there wasn't a soccer ball to be found anywhere in the gym. So, three study abroads (Dan, Sarah, and I) played frisbee for a while. Again, it was just a day to relax before classes begin, but it was kindof nice to just sit back and chill, ya know?


Yesterday we went to two churches: one catholic (in Lithuanian) and one protestant (in English). It was interesting to visit the church at Kretinga (Catholic church) as it was run by Franciscan monks who let us tour their cathedral and monastery. The church service was beautiful, though I cannot say I understood much beyond the words "good," "yes," "amen," "hallelujah," and "hosanna". It reminded me again of the day of Pentecost and the movement and power of the Holy Spirit, that by God's redeeming love and grace all people in all their tongues may bend on their knees and bow before the Lord and say, "Christ is King." After church in the morning, we went to a restaurant which had a lot of little shops and play grounds and even a ropes course and shooting (archery) range. After ordering food, we explored and played on the grounds, before returning and eating some really delicious food. The church we went to in the evening was run by the Salvation Army, and we ran into my room-mate Roman actually on the way there! Most of LCC (Lithuanian Christian College) faculty and some students attend there, so it has a very north-american protestant church feel to it while at the same time feeling. The message preached on was James 1, which was very good - as was the music. I think Rebecca and I mentioned to each other about returning to that church in the next few weeks.

A few days ago, we took the bus to the town of Nida on the baltic. There, we explored the town and we also went in the sea and the adjacent lagoon. I've never seen such huge sand dunes as there were there!













But now, we have come to the end of the touring. Classes begin in the morning, and I've gotta get some sleep! As for the Pictures, all of the pics on this posting are from and around Klaipeda. Hope you enjoy!

Vilnius; Klaipeda

an update:
We arrived in Vilnius on the 25th; that same day we toured the city before returning to the hostel we were staying at. It was beautiful! That night some of us went out to a cafe and got drinks before going to bed. The next day we were back on the streets exploring the city. We went into some catacombs underneath the national cathedral which were an archaeological dream and if I can say so, I think I've finally figured out for certain that I want to pursue that endeavor because of such a small but explorative experience in Vilnius. We also went to a museum in a former KGB building/prison where many people were tortured and killed. Though I have never been to the holocaust museum in D.C., I can only imagine it was a similar gut-wrenching feeling, though the holocaust didn't happen in D.C. and we were standing in the rooms where people were tortured, shot, butchered, and the like, until the fall of the Soviet Union. it was definitely an interesting day.

Today we woke up and left the hostel to travel to the castle Trakei, which had been destroyed during wars which have been fought in the region over the past centuries. It was rebuilt in the 1950's, however, so a reconstructed edition of the castle was accessible. It's cool since it's surrounded by water by three lakes. We also went out on a boat for about an hour, before taking a three-hour or so drive from the castle to Klaipeda (on the baltic).

When we arrived in Klaipeda, we were divided into our two dorm groups: karklu and Neumann. Becca is staying in Karklu, which is located about a half-hour walking distance and is in the center of the city and I am in Neumann which is located on campus. Tonight, the study-abroad students in Neumann went to a cafe' for supper and then to Iki (pronounced: eeK-ee), one of the three grocery chains in the country. We just got back, and here I am - finally settled into the spacious dormatory room/suite i'll call home for the next four months.

Pictures are posted below, and I'll be checkin' back soon.

Inside of the cathedral; beneath this building were the catacombs which many royals were buried













St. Anne's church, a gothic church which was bombed heavily; Napoleon visited it













The water-torture cell at the KGB museum. Prisoners stood in icy water for hours until they collapsed into the water; then into very hot; then icy; and so on until they gave up information and their families and loved ones were also arrested or they were driven insane.










one of the chambers of the catacombs beneath the cathedral

London:

It's hard to believe that our three-day stint in London is already at an end; Yesterday we walked 6 miles or so from Paddington station to the British museum & back, and today we went on a bus tour of the city and saw most of the famous sites like Big Ben, the Tower of London, Tower bridge, etc. ALSO! we discovered that cocacola here is still awesome and has cane sugar (like it did in Guatemala and used to in the US) it was, as Becca put it, "much more refreshing" hmm. yes. Anyways, tomorrow's an early day (we're waking up at 4:30a!) to get to the airport and then get on our flight to Frankfurt, then continue on to Vilnius. In the meantime, though, enjoy the pictures posted here! (I know its only a few but we're gonna run out of internet soon here at the hotel!! yikes!!!) Talk to you soon when we have more time at school! Take it easy, ~Kev

Wilkommen und aufwiedersehen

Well, I wish I could say more right now since it's 16.07p here in the UK by I can't say much right now because Becca and I are beat and hit the hay so-to-speak once we got to the hotel here in London. We made it through Frankfurt and its rather confusing labyrinth of terminals and made it to Heathrow sometime around 11:00a local time this morning (around 6am for the east coast of the states). It's a very nice 21 degrees C/70 deg. F here today and has been partly cloudy; though we weren't outside much and probably will not be as it's getting close to supper time. Anyways, back to catch a few more winks of sleep before grabbing something to eat! ~Kev

Labas!

Less than a week to go until we leave for study abroad at LCC university! For starters, Becca and I will be posting things on here periodically though I can't really be sure as to what we'll post or with what frequency; so please don't be upset if we posted something on friday and haven't saturday, sunday, monday, or whatever. We're both really excited to go! There's just gonna be a ton goin on and whatnot.

A week from today we'll be sippin' tea with the queen! HAH! yeah right...we'll at least have seen her palace. If you haven't heard the flight details, We start out from Philly (Becca's flying down Tuesday) and fly nonstop to Frankfurt on 21/08/2009. We have something like a 2 hour layover before continuing onto London (Heathrow), where we'll be staying for 3 days or so. We there head from Heathrow to Frankfurt again, and then on to Vilnius. I'll get back on here sometime in December and post the return-flight info. Ya, there's a bunch of flights - but we get to see the world and it was cheaper too! Can't beat that, can ya? Anyways, off to eat food, and continue packin' and gettin' ready for Becca to come Tuesday; Friday's gonna come really soon! Hope everyone enjoys their day! Take it easy, n' take care. ~Kev