the naked men were everywhere.

I realized while looking over my blog posts, that the one that has been viewed the most is the one titled "i saw a naked man." And who wouldn't read that? I mean, the title is intriguing enough. If someone has a naked person story they normally want to hear about it. Anyway, I looked back at this old post and realized that this wasn't even the most interesting naked man story that I have. So, I thought I would indulge you in my most fond memory of seeing naked men while abroad. Because it happened more often than I thought it would.

While in Ukraine, my host dad, Andrei, took Cherish and me on a walk to the ponds near their house. It was a nice little area and he said that if we wanted to go on a run, this would be the place to come. There were trees, ponds, and baths. Yes, baths. When Andrei first told us about them, he made it seem like the teenagers went to them at night for fun. Well, I understood that wrong. Very, very wrong.

One morning I decided I would go on a run. It was gorgeous outside and I had the urge to stretch my legs. 

The path was beautiful, the trees and bushes surrounding me. The air was brisk and cool. 

I stayed on the path, following the curves around the ponds.

That's when I saw them. 

The naked men.

OLD naked men.

Everywhere. 

Walking. Standing. Stretching. 

Everything showing. Out in the open. Saying good morning to the world. 

That was when I realized that while the young people may use them for fun at night, the old people used them after exercising in the morning.

I couldn't just stop and turn because I needed to blend in and act like it was normal. In my head I was in a mix between laughing and screaming.

Just when I thought I was almost in the clear, I saw another man ahead. He was standing near the edge of the pond, stretching. Stark naked for the whole world to see. I was getting closer to where he was, and he just kept stretching. Then, he turned around and started back towards the path. That's when I really started to freak out a little. At the pace both of us were going, we would collide. I picked up my pace and darted past him. 

After I made it through I had to stop to make sure what I saw was actually real. It was. I took off again.

As soon as I got back to our house I jumped on Cherish to wake her up and tell her what happened. All she did was laugh at me. She could do that though. I had been traumatized by saggy old man butts...among other things. Now looking back at it all I can do is laugh.

This is what I get for trying to exercise. I never ran on that path again.

at least the egyptians are happier.

This week has been relatively uneventful. Mostly because I only had class once this week. I am supposed to have it on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but this week we did not have class on Wednesday because it was Pioneer Day (yes, that exists, and yes, it is a state holiday) and then my professor had to take an emergency trip to Uganda (no big deal or anything) so class was cancelled on Thursday. 

I was actually sad that I only had class once this week. I enjoy going, which sometimes surprises people because it is Comparative Government and Politics. But no class for 6 days means I get to party all night and sleep in late, right? Because that's what the college life is all about, right? That's what it might be like for a lot of people, but I definitely don't fit under that category. I fall into the category with those who watch netflix, work out, hang out at their grandparents house, and go to bed around midnight, only to be up by 7:30 am. Suffice it to say, I have no life.

Okay, I have a life. I just didn't have one this week. And that is okay with me. 

Anyway, right now I should be revising my paper that is due at midnight tonight. It was assigned to us Tuesday, and like any studious college student, I haven't even looked at it since it was handed back to us. So now, instead of fixing it to make it a well-written essay to turn in, I am typing up a blog. And I know my dad will most likely read this, so to justify the further procrastination, I would like to say that writing this is helping my creative juices flow so that I will be able to write an even better paper than if I would have just jumped right into it cold turkey. 

As for the title of this post, it relates to my essay that is based on an article  from the New York Times about the military seizing power in Egypt. The article states how the people are looking forward to the future now that their president has been removed from his position. So what better title do I need than what I am procrastinating writing about? 

That's my life for this week. Next week will be much more exciting. One of my dear friends is getting married, and that is bringing some of my other dear friends to town. And they're staying with me. To say I am excited is an understatement. 

right back at it again.

I’m still alive. I wasn’t taken while in Ukraine like everyone said I would be. Nothing bad or scary happened. Unless you count that one time on the trolley with the drunken man that I thought was going to follow me home. But, aside from that, Ukraine was amazing. I want to go back. I will go back.

In October things got really busy and I kind of stopped updating my blog. Okay, not kind of. I did. I completely vanished from the blogging community, and for that I apologize. However, I am right back at it again. Hopefully.

Well, a lot has happened since October. So here is a brief overview.

I went to:

Budapest, Hungary

Vienna, Austria

Prague, Czech Republic

Dresden, Germany

Krakow, Poland

-Dimples was our tour guide and he didn't speak any English but I loved him anyway.

-I cried like a baby when I left Ukraine. 

-I had a wonderful Christmas with my family.The rest of Christmas break and the beginning of the new year was a pretty great time too.

-I came back out to Utah for my first official semester at Brigham Young University.

-I went on a huge A Day to Remember kick and even went to one of their shows. I'm still a little obsessed.

-I went home for a few months for part of the summer and I am so glad I went home when I did.

-My parents moved from our house of 17 1/2 years to a new house. I cried like a baby then, too.

-WE GOT A PUPPY NAMED CHARLY AND SHE IS PRECIOUS AND MY ONLY LOVE.

-The girls that were in my group in Ukraine are my best friends still and I love them to death.

-I am now back in Utah for summer semester and then I am flying back home in August so I can go to LITHUANIA.

Yes, you read that right. Lithuania. I am leaving in August and coming home in December again. The main difference between this time around and my time in Ukraine, is that I will be a head teacher this fall instead of a normal teacher. Basically, I will be in charge of the normal teachers who have their specific groups of kids that they teach. It is going to be a new experience and a lot of responsibility, but I am beyond ecstatic. Thank heavens for the International Language Program (ILP) for allowing me to have these opportunities. Seriously, everyone should do it. ILP.org Go to it. Now. Apply. You won't regret it.

The one question people ask me when I tell them that I am yet again taking off a semester to go abroad to teach English is, "What about school?" and to those people I would just like to say, I am young. I have time. School will get done. My parents aren't going to let me not finish. I want to finish. I enjoy school. I plan on going to graduate school. But for now, while I don't have any major responsibilities, I am going to enjoy my time.