another entry!

As you can see I am running out of good names for this blog.  So here is yet another update.  My first week of school went well.  Most of my classes are pretty interesting.  I really enjoy Communication Management.  My professor is so intelligent and well connected.  He was actually a former advisor to the President of Slovenia.  The classes are pretty full and there are even some Slovenian students in there.  Its kind of annoying though, everyone just sits around and talks during the lectures.  Its rude and disruptive...I think I will have to resort to being a nerd and sitting in the very front.  The classes are also pretty laid back.  I've only received a few syllabi and have yet to do any hardcore reading/writing.  There is a lot of groupwork involved though.  I'm usually not a fan of working in groups but we will see what this experience has to offer.  Its so nice because I have plenty of friends in all my classes so we can all study together and hang out after class.

The weekend was good too.  Ptuj was great!  It's about a 2 hour trainride from Ljubljana.  Its a really small town on the river.  We got off the train and walked just a few blocks before we ran into the massive parade.  All these cow looking things running through the street followed by a collection of other interesting characters.  There was also a group of these "whipping men" who were pretty amusing.  They were decked out in traditional attire and literally cracked the whip!   It makes a really loud sound and they just keep cracking it as they parade down the street.  Apparently its tradition to do this to wish for a fertile growing season etc.  They were pretty cool until about 5 hours later when you could still hear the loud cracking sound throughout the town.  The parade ended at 1ish and everyone busted out the alcohol.  This added to the spectacle as you could see the cows and whips start to stagger and stumble more and more.  We were eating dinner and there was a drunk fight outside involving people in costume as well as whips and sticks.  No one got seriously hurt and it was pretty funny actually.  We also visited the town's castle while we were there.  There was a cool museum displaying all kind of old artifacts and portraits from various places in Europe.  The only downfall to this trip is that we were unable to couchsurf at this guys place :(  His phone had died on his way home from Budapest, ironically he was getting off the train we were boarding to get back to Ljubljana.  Its crappy what a little miscommunication can do but I'm going to try to couchsurf again!

Anyway here's a link so you can see for yourself how cool this festival is.  It shows both the cows and the whipping men!  It was so neat to see how well preserved this tradition is.  I could tell that the townspeople really had a lot of pride and the carnival brought everyone together for a good celebration.
Ptuj

Other news:  I have a few more trips planned out!  As many of you know I will be turning the epic 21 over here.  Too bad I will not be able to experience this right of passage at home.  In order to compensate I've booked a trip to Amsterdam, you could say its the mecca for partying.  I'm going with a fellow American, Sam, from Hawaii, and Tom from the UK.  We are hoping to couchsurf there and hopefully find a host to take us to all the good spots.  There are also a bunch of historic places to see, I would also like to get some culture while I'm there, not just partying ;)!  I hear it can be a bit risky there because the tourists attract pick pockets etc. so I will have to do some proper preparations before I go.  I can finally use the under clothes moneybelt my aunt gave me :) 

I also met a girl from Zagreb, Croatia studying at the school and she says I can come home with her one weekend!  Yay, I'm really looking forward to staying with her family and discovering my roots!  We were talking and she has family in Lukovdol, the same place I do! 

Another fun thing coming up is the Manu Chao concert.  Vanessa and Annika introduced me to this great Spanish artist and coincidentally he is coming to Slovenia in April!  I can't wait to go to this concert and dance the night away!  Here's one of his song's, hope you enjoy!

Bongo

Well thats all my updates, overall things couldn't be better.  The initial awe of being here is beginning to wear off and I am getting used to having a routine and knowing where I am and what I need to do.  I've been to all the exciting places in Ljubljana and theres not much more to discover here, ah the next phase of life here begins.  My main objectives now are to do well in school and strengthen the friendships I've made.  Everyday is great!

Well off to bed because I've got class tomorrow!

Night!