As The World Turns, Summer Catch-Up Edition.
Ahoj all, how have you been?
The year has already halfway flown by and I wanted to stop in and say hello!
Since my last post….
I have gone back (full-time) to work! It’s actually been a lot more of a nice slow transition than I thought it would be which has been perfect for me. Starting in the fall I’ll have an even bigger workload so I’m thankful to have had this “princess” semester of getting back to the swing of things in the office while childcare was still not full-time.
In the realm of work, I’ve been working on something really cool and writerly which I hope to share here on the blog when it’s finished! But that’s what I’m filling my work days with this June.
My little one started at a Czech nursery two days per week in January and has been loving it! It’s funny how nervous I was during this transition to a babysitter two hours a week to one and a half days at nursery (including a nap time!). It was a lot harder on me than it was for him – he was so excited to play with the cars and bikes and in the playground. The caretakers and teachers there have been amazing.
In preparation for autumn, my now three year old has been enrolled in Czech preschool or školka. Preschool selection is kind of a big deal here. I have no idea how they do it in the U.S. (or anywhere else, for that matter) but here you apply to however many you want and a week or so later, find out if you’ve been accepted due to criteria usually consisting of where you live, how old your child is to the day (priority for older children), whether or not you’ve applied to any other preschools, and sometimes other things as well. Little M was so lucky to be accepted into our first choice – a very bright, friendly and cheerful preschool in our neighborhood that I have a very good feeling about. (I go on vibes, and the vibes were good) He will attend there at least for the next three years of his life so I know it will be a very important place and experience for him.
On that note, even just barely three years old with six months of Czech nursery under his belt (and over two years of swimming lessons in Czech, for that matter), he is really picking up language! Mostly passively, but sometimes he’ll surprise me and remember something like uklizime or vsechno nejlepsi. Last week at preschool adaptation hour, he asked a child Jak se jmenujes? I could barely believe it. I have not always felt so comfortable with the idea of having a billingual child (especially just because “I wanted an adventure” and am here in the Czech Republic now) but the more time goes on, I realize that it literally does not take away anything to learn Czech. He still has two experienced English teachers as parents* and I think he will do just fine.
Speaking of Czech language, we are slowly plodding along with our quest to make the quantum leap between achievable A2 (upper elementary) and daunting B1 (pre-intermediate) Czech language. And you know what? Things are going pretty gosh darn okay. I’m understanding so much more. My fight-or-flight instinct doesn’t kick in anymore when someone tries to ask me a question (sometimes only a little). Last week I chatted with two Czech passengers the entire train ride between Prague and Budejovice! The dynamic of three people (two Czechs, one language learner) actually works really well. You don’t feel like the onus is on you the entire time so you can sort of pipe in when you have something to say. Sadly, my German language has taken a big hit over the past year as I had to give up lessons for financial reasons. (hey, a two and a half year maternity leave is great but… yeah… something had to give) Going to try to make the time to get back into stronger language learning in both languages come autumn.
Quick language-learning-related note to Czechs and other peeps in country — please let me know in the comments if you can recommend any fairly easy to understand Czech TV series (bonus points if available on CT?). We finished Vyprávěj many months ago (very much enjoyed) and I haven’t found another series I’ve been excited about starting yet…
I got a bike – I’m a bike girlie now. I can’t recommend enough getting a bike at the very beginning of spring because it is absolutely the most wonderful season to get into cycling. Imagine: riding with your partner home from the kino, side by side through a beautiful European city as the sun sets, the air is warm and spells like lilacs – a core “wow, this is my life” memory.
I celebrated my 39th birthday and my son developed a terribly high fever right on that day. It was the first time that had ever happened and it was so stressful! Not great timing!
My improvisational theatre troop and I had our first public performance to a small, appreciative crowd. Looking forward to the prospect of more performing (in whatever capacity) later this year.
Surprising nobody, we’ll be traveling to the U.S. for half the summer this year! My brother is getting married in Washington and thankfully planned his wedding right when we usually would be there anyway (such good timing, good one, Dave!) so I’m looking forward to a Washington summer, some time visiting family in Chicago and of course, on to Michigan after, then back for the beginning of preschool.
We just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary (and all of our birthdays directly before it, phew)! Although the day of was nothing big — we went out for coffee after dropping our child at nursery at the French market which happened to be going on (love that little festival, truly), but looking forward to further celebrating in August when we will be going back to and staying at the same resort, the same beach, in the same cabin we stayed on our wedding weekend those ten years ago. I know it will be so meaningful and fun to have our first ever getaway, just the two of us again. A really fun thing to do this past week though was rewatching our entire wedding video for the first time, even the sloppy bits at the reception. I came to the realization that I own a 25 second video of every person close to me in this life, even my dearly departed father, dancing to Hey Ya!. There is literally nothing more precious or heartwarming. Advice for anyone planning the wedding: have someone film everything, even if it doesn’t seem worth it at the time, it will be.
June has been wonderfully full-on. Choir concerts, end of year events, beginning of preschool events, entrance examining, some friends from the States coming to visit at the end of the month, and a couple of big trips and concerts plonked down right in the middle.
I decided earlier this year that I was tired of missing my favorite bands’ tours and when two of them announced European tour dates for this spring, I jumped at the tickets, even if I had to travel to Berlin to go to one of them. (I’ve travelled further for a show before!) It’s a silly-sounding thing to try to explain to people, but going to shows and seeing bands, particularly very beloved ones is something that makes up my personal core happiness quotient. My family didn’t mind much being dragged to Berlin for a fun (but stormy!) weekend in one of my favorite places. This week I’m off on an overnight to see another, a bit closer afield fortunately. Patting myself on the back for past Cynthia stepping up for her own “self care” and what drives her (filling her heart with very specific music) this year. Yes!! Manifesting in 2025!
And that’s the haps. Happy summer from South Bohemia! Life is good! Blooming where you’re planted, and all that (for once). Take opportunities. Say yes. (Unless you don’t want to, then say no!) Make something happen that is profoundly meaningful and brings you happiness, whatever that looks like to you. And thank you for reading this and for being here.
*Great for his education! Not great for our coffers!
