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A Surprise Vienna
last friday morning, my landlord, martin (who lives in the flat below me) knocked on my door, inquiring whether or not we were free to join a day-trip to vienna the next day, as there were two free seats in his van. ….so, that was a no-brainer. české budějovice is fascinatingly only a two and a half hour drive from vienna and the idea of going there only for the day was blowing my mind! as in: i live somewhere where i can visit vienna. for the day. and then come home and go to sleep. so began what seemed like two days worth of sights packed into one, waking up…
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Jindřichův Hradec (or as we call it, Henry Castle)
i haven’t even begun to write and i’m getting distracted by czech kids singing “we wish you a merry christmas”, echoing in the hallway. adorable. CHRISTMAS IS COMING, PEOPLE! HOOBOY! it shows in the amount of lessons i’ve been having lately (ehhh…. 10 out of the normal 15 per week) because of cancellations galore. but that’s alright since it gives me ample time to do what’s important in life, like bake cookies! make homemade decorations! write this blog post! cook dinner! and visit the town square, which is an absolute hot-spot of yuletide activity right now. i can’t walk by it without wanting a glorious vanoci punč– the aroma always…
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There’s Coffee.
today’s the sort of day where i had to talk to everyone although i was ready to have a social interaction with no one. received a lesson cancellation one hour before the lesson, but after i am out of bed and dressed. first decided not to go back to bed. then ended up napping and feeling groggy for an unexpected meeting with my boss. and i run into every colleague there ever was. now it’s noon and i’m still not ready to continue being awake. at least it’s sunny…. and there’s COFFEE.
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December/Prosinec
ahhh, my favorite time of year is here again! and this year i’m not taking classes and studying like mad so i can really enjoy it. the first snow of the winter fell last week and boy, it was perfect. light fluffy swirling snowflakes: my favorite! got into the spirit and ordered myself an early christmas gift of this pine mason jar candle. (big candles are not a thing here) the path from the bus stop to the plant i teach at (my usual monday and tuesday morning) also, the first place i taught last february, always in the snow. we’ve come full circle! an excellent start of the season.…
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Living in Europe, pt II
there’s this weird phenomenon that starts to happen after about a year of living abroad: it becomes harder and harder to imagine returning home. the thought is scarier and scarier…. not only because we still are not confident about where we would work, where we would live, and what we would do…. but because that would also mean leaving life over here. which is pretty great. i mean, gosh! i live in europe! every day i feel lucky to enjoy life here. meeting other expats that have stayed here for years is quite interesting too; to hear their take on living in a small czech city vs. prague vs. the…
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My Own Private Náměstí
české budějovice is a really beautiful city and has so many lovely spots: česka street, main town square, which is actually called přemysl otakar II náměstí. but currently my favorite place is a lovely little square called piaristické náměstí– piarist’s square. i had no idea what a piarist was until i came across the term mentioned in the good soldier svejk– a nickname for people belonging to: the order of poor clerics regular of the mother of god of the pious schools. this would make sense because this city has a loooong religious tradition, as it has been the seat of the roman catholic diocese since 1785. bam. so anyway, i’m walking to a lesson sometime…
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Hallo-Week
hello listopad (november) in czech republic. i’ve seen you somewhere before. oh yeah– it was last year when we moved into you! yes, we arrived on a train from berlin fraught with worry and anxiety over an incident with the ticket checker and also our failure to follow instructions and meet our contact person at the correct place and time at hlavni nadraži (central station), prague. finally we were whisked away by taxi and shown to our simple apartment on kolbenova street, vysočanska district (prague 9). boy, that day was a culture shock. and going to one of the many chinese restaurants to realize we couldn’t say anything… not a lick…
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Lately, Fall Pt. II
this has been a weird week. the weather has been strange (highs of 20’C some days!) and been thinking a lot about the czech republic. one day loving it, the next, exhausted by the stares of crabby old people. thinking about friends, about relationships, about life, about home….. but at least it wasn’t as weird as last week with no electricity, hot water or heat! so thankful to be warm. preparing now for a nice little weekend in eastern bavaria! i haven’t been to bavaria in years, and i’m rather looking forward to a little shopping, some mugs of helles from a famous old brauerei, rich history and architecture and…
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Desperate Times
sometimes i feel like alex and i are like harry and lloyd from dumb and dumber. living together in a former communist central european country where we don’t speak the language with only each other to count on, when it comes down to it. i realized this yesterday, which was day three of the great unexplained power outage. at one point i sat there in my hoodie that doesn’t zip anymore thinking, okay. we have no food. we have no money. my employer is two days late with the paycheck. we have no hot water… we have no heat… my phone is out of minutes…. “our pets’ heads are falling off!”…
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Misty Morning
walked to my favorite corner store this morning and was pleased of how serene the morning was. slightly misty, not cold, sweet smell of leaves in the air……. so fresh and invigorating. i felt instantly better. one of my favorite kinds of fall mornings that remind me that i live in europe. pretty cool. cooking risotto and pho (dear everyone, alex ate a dish of primarily onions and mushrooms and LIKED IT), drinking coconut juice, staropramen light, new decaf coffee and kusmi boost tea. watched the conclusion of breaking bad season four, reading this book, meeting new locals/friends, listening to church bells and deerhunter’s halcyon digest album. enjoying the serenity…
