Nuremberg, Dachau, Munich

Cheryl Zak never takes vacation time. Last night the tension between the Arch kids and the other school boiled over when one of the other students crossed the line. The Arch students were quick to report the incident to Cheryl, and she handled it with the same charisma that we all know and love. It is safe to say that they will be hesitant to cross us again on this trip! Today, things went a lot smoother. Nuremberg was fantastic with the exception of us not being able to see the courthouses that held the Nuremberg Trials. We were really hoping to be able to see them, seeing as how that is the reason Nuremberg is internationally known. Yet another way EF Tours has failed us this trip. On the bus ride to Dachau, one of the other school’s parents decided to try his luck with disciplining the Arch kids. It should come as no surprise that I was the first to come back with one of my extremely witty, clever remarks. He was quiet the rest of the day. Dachau really impacted everyone. There was little conversation as the students walked around the concentration camp. I had to fight back tears as I recalled that my ancestors had narrowly escaped a camp such as this one. It truly was a sobering experience for myself. For the next hour and a half I remained quiet and contemplative as I tried to imagine what kind of person could possibly put anyone else through this kind of torture. Following Dachau, we were treated to some five-star EF Tours cuisine. Unbenounced  to us, the drinks did not come free and we were given the bill at the end of the meal. The day ended in Munich with us checking in to the hotel tired and ready to relax. Tomorrow we go on to explore Munich! Much love to San Diego. Tonight, I would like to give a shout out to all of the RESCU Academy Alumni. We love you! And know we are grateful for all you have done once upon a time for us to have this moment

Harrison

Prague and Kafka

Hi! Well today was incredible!  We ran around the town and visited Franz Kafka’s House where he lived and died.  Good for the Arch Academy book club for reading Kafka’s: Metamorphosis , The Judgement, The Penal Colony,  The Trial and the Stoker.  We went through his bookstore and then the house itself  looking at his early drawings and timeline of his life.  The students were very knowledgeable and now we have visited Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter House Five even though we couldn’t get all the way there.

Next, we took a horse and carriage ride around town and Sean Ran next to us in his morph suit and was filmed for Czech Republic’s MTV!  We ate strange food and saw strange people but laughed and carried on as usual.  We got on the bus this morning and the other school decided to have a three row barricade of parents between us and them.  The joke was on them as their kid slept in 20 minutes again! HAHA Yet another tally for ARCH Academy and a good rationale why not to bring your parents with you on spring break!

Finally,  we went to a castle all day and saw the most amazing church.  Lily, who is Jewish, committed two sins in one day by trying to light a candle in the catholic church and then bought a pentagram.  ARCH Academy sprung into action and halted her before lighting the candle while reminding her she didn’t believe in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  She also was positively peer pressured into throwing away her new, but short lived, necklace.  We do give her props for slipping security and not paying for the candle

Dinner was the same and we are losing weight rapidly….ha.  Tomorrow we are on to Nuremberg, Dachau and then Munich.

Shout out to the parents, Valerie, Julie, and Dom (new AP math and science teacher)  Welcome aboard!  You could be here next year!  Hey Kayde, Murphy, and Keith.

Pictures from Dresden

Dresden and Safe in Prague

Hi!  Dresden was amazing we saw castles, meadows, squares, churches, bombing sites, golden statues and synagogs.   We all loved the tour and our adventures  meeting all different kinds of people thinking it was similar to Florence, Italy with a great many artists, writers and poets attracted here both before the war and now.  The food…..well not so much.  We eat Italian when  we can and nobody ate the dinner tonight. Eeeeeek.  It was a pork product with slightly cooked bread and a carrot with, what we have called it, “Chum Gravy”.  The salad was cucumbers and tomatoes and the desert was a chocolate roll .

The other school, whom we shall not name, started the day off with three girls sleeping in 40 minutes and left us on the bus.   Well Arch Academy will not be undone and so the farting fest began.  Giggles and Gagging was heard through out the bus until Jameson’s emergency of a “turtle popping out” along with his vocalization of this event provoked one parents to state, “Show some respect”.  Game on and Concerta and Ritalin all around just took the edge off enough for our two hour bus ride to Prague.  Jameson was ok and relieved himself without further incident.  Oh! we have to pay 50 cent euro everywhere we go to the bathroom.  The students have figured out to always have change available.

David has not been to an ATM but we will go in the morning. We are also in great shape and EVERYBODY smokes. We have been able to dodge bikes, scooters, cars, trains and fast walking Germans.  We all stink and the hotels reek.

The other school also Puked all over the bus which caused us to evacuate and the students were doing the chicken dance with their necks in the hopes that they would  not follow suite.  We starred them down laughed hysterically and yes an anonymous students yelled “Show some respect”  We have laughed harder and gotten closer than ever before!  It really has been awesome and the humor just keeps coming.

A Few Pictures so Far

Shout out to QUINN!!!!

Berlin’s Grey Skies Did Not Clear Up

Hi!  Today we went to the Holocaust Museum and it was extremely intense.  It was very sad and heartbreaking.  We also saw Hitler’s Bunker, now marked by a plaque on the street, it is buried under the streets.  We saw where the Berlin wall was once standing and what has been left standing.  Germany invited artists to come and make graffiti murals on the parts of the wall left.  We had breakfast  and ventured around with the school from Buffalo New York…and yes we determined we would have minimal contact with them: One, they brought their parents.  Two, they are the “German Club” and Finally, because they don’t quite get us!  We sit in the way back of the bus and entertain everyone with a new Arch Academy game of tag.  Yes, you got it Ball Thumping at its finest.  Which continues until someone nearly throws up, feels like they are going to faint or cries.  It is hilarious to watch and luckily I can not be a participant.

Stephanie and Ben are the map readers and so we were lost on several occasions but each time presented itself with a comical opportunities. The students are having a blast and are academically stimulated.  The tour guide spoke of learning about World War II and what is written in their history books.  He said in high school they go to a concentration camp and spend a lot of time understanding why and how they failed and also taking responsibility still for the millions of people killed in the war and the shame and guilt still remains to this day.  He was very interested in our views of Germany and NATO at this time.  NATO was meeting in the city  today and sirens and police had most of the streets blocked off.  The tour guide blamed Hilary Clinton but don’t you worry I responded along with NATO’s current status and Germany’s part in Libya.  As most of you know he will probably not ask me for political commentary again!! Although the boys were happy and thrilled to know that Germany is run by a WOMAN!

Shout out to Allison, CJ, Sam, Aaron, Lex, Brandon, Katie, Remy, Brooke, Kelsey, Lochlan, Bryan, Kyle  Bunny, Buckeye, and Augie and Pinky!

Munich Airport

Well,  here we are stranded in Munich because our Berlin connection was cancelled.  No worries we called Bernard (EF Tour Guide) and are boarding the next plane.  So far Matt lost his credit card in San Diego going through security.  Luckily, a rather large white woman aka (TSA) chased us and all was saved in the world of ARCH Academy!  The boys had a pillow fight on the plane and upset several passengers and as usual they were perfectly fine with the dirty looks and the enraged man sitting next to Jameson hogging the arm rest for the rest of the 8 hour flight to Munich . I guess it’s a guy thing.  Jake, along with the other students received their night time meds before the big flight and we soon realized that Jakes idea of ,”I can take them now…It takes me an hour to fall asleep”  Really? No the answer is “I fall asleep right away and good luck getting me on the flight and not alerting the flight attendants that I am completly under the influence!”  We all pitched in and sandwiched the zombies onto the plane and put jake’s hat on and each took an arm. Solution Seekers to the end! Lily had a slip and slide as she fell on her sweatshirt she had dropped on the floor and literally slid up to the official asking for our passports!  She opened the show!  Most of the  students had to go through the “look at me naked”  scanners.  Jake was displeased, Harrison took it stride and smiled, Stephanie , Ben and I  laughed.  Joey through up his hands as if to say “what the F—” at that point Mr. TSA decided to see him naked and raise him to a pat down!  Lesson learned TSA has NO sense of Humor especially after seeing all naked……hmmmm  Shout out to Cooper, Art and my parents who pick up the phone after every leg of the trip!

David and Harrison are still looking for money in their accounts.  FYI