Friday. It was tough to wake up today. Overslept a bit but wasn't too worried about it because we didn't have anything major for our workshop setup. Still got to the site in plenty of time to open up the tent, set up the tables, sneak into the info tent to get our supplies and make copies of certificates, and prep. It was chilly. Heather wore pants. I would have worn pants except I only brought my plane pants. =/

We divided the youth into their groups from yesterday and let them work on their presentations for about 30 minutes. They all chose which areas they were passionate about. We ended up with 8. Travel, faith, helping others, education, civic engagement, health, sports, and environment. These groups were amazing and did so well. I learned that in Finland there is a mandatory church tax. You are mandated by government to pay a percentage of your income to the closest church, regardless of where you worship. The youth were thoughtful and thorough and worked through the challenges of different languages, cultures, time constraints and working with strangers collectively.

After we finished I ran into a few friends from Africa, Prague and London. Stayed and chatted for a bit before Heather and I headed out to lunch. We went to the same café we discovered yesterday. The sweet puppy was there again. Got a glass of watermelon juice and vegetarian plates - today was a nutty pasta, lentils, cabbage salad and steamed veggies. Finished it off with a couple cappuccinos and a shared a slice of a moist apple-pie type of cake. It started to rain so we hustled back to the festival grounds. On our way we started yawning, despite the cappuccinos, and remembered that this was the café that gave us Ambien coffee. So we stopped in a different shop that we had visited before and got another cappuccino. Good thing we did because it started down pouring. There was a massive thunder boom and lightning strike right on top of us. We hunkered down lamenting what a bummer this would be for festival participants on their last day. It took about 20 minutes before the rough stuff passed. We put our gear back on (Heather in her rain jacket and me in my UW Osh hat - thanks Nina) and walked back to the festival.

We had a little time to spend before our US Delegation closing meeting at 5:30, so we stopped in the festival store to drop our T-shirts off at the t-shirt swap. Then we walked around to outdoor tech again, and saw the ESG coffee tent - they had bread you could cook yourself over the fire and were making coffee over fire too. It was very cool. Especially because it was all run and orchestrated by teens.

It started to rain pretty heavily again so we headed to the tent where the delegation meeting would take place and tried to get on wifi. We started setting up the tent and eventually people trickled in. Mike did a great job leading the wrap up event. About 200 of our 500 people showed up. They did regional chants and dances, and everyone left on a good note. Lots of life-changing testimonials. Some stayed on the grounds for the festival closing ceremonies. Most of the Y-USA crew and friends decided to grab dinner in the city. It was raining. And raining. And raining.

Got back to the apartment and got ready. Because it was so cold out I was able to dry my hair with the hair dryer for the first time all week. The hair dryer died on me after a couple of seconds, so I switched to the other bathroom. That one stuck with me and my mop and didn't overheat until my hair was almost totally dry. Success! Used the straightener I brought too, so that luggage space wasn't totally in vain.

Right before Heather and I headed out, we noticed the lanterns floating over the cemetery. They were the paper kind you light a candle under and release into the night sky. It was a lovely beginning to Heather's last night in Prague.

We got to the restaurant - Mistral - before everyone else arrived. They didn't have room for our party of 11 (Heather, James, Aaron, Audra, Nancy, Doug, Mike DeVaul, Mike VanHaelewyn, Sha, Andrea, and me) in the non-smoking section, so they sat us in smoking. Yes, they still have smoking sections in restaurants. I was warm in the space but I was still a bit chilled. I wanted to refrain from alcohol, so I got a rose tea with honey and something else I didn't understand. Turns out it was quite an elaborate tea setup. A cup and saucer, a teapot, teabag, side shot of honey, and side shot of vodka. Czech vodka. So, I swirled them all together and it was incredibly delicious and exactly what I was hoping for. I also ordered the salmon and spinach risotto. The risotto was delicious, reminded me of Hell's Kitchen, and the waiter asked if I wanted my salmon medium or well done. I looked at him cross-eyed and he laughed and told me some tourists prefer their salmon well done - no pink. I ordered it medium, and it was delightful. Perfectly cooked.

The crew went out after dinner I think but Heather and I headed home for our last night before her 4am pickup to the airport. We opened our last bottle of champagne and had a glass in the living room while we sat down to watch another terrible horror flick. We only saw the last 30 minutes of the flick, but it was a total let-down, and we went to sleep immediately after it ended.

The doorknob on my bedroom door continues to fall off. Multiple times a day. Without me even touching it. I think its possessed. I haven't been locked in or out yet but I am certain it will happen before I leave.