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a conversation
so, i’m standing in the kitchen at my language school, washing a tea mug when a fellow teacher (czech) enters the room. Her: (something in Czech)Me: …….. ?Her: You don’t speak Czech?!?!?Me: No……….. not really.Her: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE? Me: Well, it’s been over a year now…. [By now, it’s safe to say I was feeling extremely sheepish]Her: Well, are you going to learn?Me: I would like to, it’s just… I don’t know how long I’ll be living here for.Her: When will you know?! [She’s kind of a ball-buster, this one]Me: Sometime this spring.Her: It’s spring now!Me: (start to slowly back away) Err… well, definitely by May or…
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march noms
a low-key, windy weekend here in south bohemia: i focused most of my time and effort on planning the epic slovenia trip in june. and have realized, dang, slovenia is AMAZING! a country half the size of switzerland with so much to offer: alps, adriatic beaches, caves, glacial rivers, countryside, karst plateaus, national parks…. i am really looking forward to it. and with the recent acquisition of a blender last month, i tried my hand at making delicious creamy almond milk– a drink which i would buy exclusively instead of milk while living in the states but never have been able to find it here. fortunately, it is so easy…
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keeping in touch + giveaway
although i made the choice to leave my home state in favor of some adventures in europe, i still feel very strongly about keeping in good touch with my buddies. (…actually, that’s why i started this blog) i’ve always been a good communicator and staying in touch with my friends and family is really important to me, whether it’s via e-mail or skype, or the good ‘ol fashioned postcard. while i LOVE skype for it’s ability to make me feel like i’m sitting around, having coffee with a friend, there is something to be said for real, tangible mail that you get in the post. “snail mail” is not dead…
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pre-marital travel
ever wanted to know if you and your boyfriend or girlfriend will make it in the long run? feeling confident? having your doubts? take an extended trip together. it will either bring you much closer… or you’ll realize some things about your relationship that you will have wished you knew earlier. plus, if he won’t go on a trip with you, you can just nip it in the bud right now. (below, fishing on the west coast of scotland) before setting out on this adventure with alex, we had been dating for one year and some odd months. in the grand scheme of things, that’s really not that long. we…
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weekend, unplugged
i went offline this weekend, not entirely by choice. the internet was down (or rather, “the landlord’s wifi we’ve been leeching has not been working”) which initially would bum anyone out that just wanted to sit in bed and read some blogs on a sunny saturday morning, but it was somewhat of a blessing in disguise. i picked up wild by cheryl strayed (whose earlier book dear sugar i had previously enjoyed) and plowed almost 70% through that baby… and i almost never do that kind of thing! what a great novel to get you in the mood for a) nicer weather and b) a hiking trip, preferably along the…
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DAILY PHOTO: upper panská street my second favorite street in české budějovice, a purely pedestrian lane covered with cobblestones and lined with bright colored cafes, hostels, shops, and restaurants. HAPPY FRIDAY, all! looking forward to sushi and sunshine in my weekend.
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what i love about “home”
české budějovice isn’t what i consider HOME home, but it certainly is my home for now and it’s important to think about and remember why i chose to live here and what makes it great. i’ve thought of plenty reasons, but here’s my ten favorite things about good ol’ CB. 1. i LOVE my flat i could easily spend days holed up here in this haven of english speaking, great cooking, and ornate early twentieth century architectural detail, but force myself to get out once and awhile. we really got lucky! the flat next door is vacant as it’s being remodeled, so we don’t have to worry about being too quiet…
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risking it
us ESL teachers are a transient bunch. it’s common for people to teach english for nine months to a year before heading back to wherever they came from. i always thought that i would share this fate… until things greatly improved financially, we met more contacts and realized– hey, we could totally stay here for longer. life is good! i certainly didn’t anticipate my life abroad teaching english to be much more lucrative than a life in seattle slinging coffee and interning for positions that will never materialize into jobs, but hey. living in the czech republic is a bit different than the rest of western europe, but it’s also…
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brno
if someone told me earlier “in a week, you’ll travel to brno for the day”, i would’ve wondered whaaaaat would ever compel me to undertake that. but my father (whom i haven’t seen in 3+ years) was on business from singapore, so it would be almost criminal not to meet up after being so close! brno, the second largest city in the czech republic, is almost four hours away by bus which isn’t exactly day trip material. but you know what? brno it is! because sometimes plans change! as my mind surely did as i stepped off the bus and was greeted by the warmest sun on my face i’ve felt…
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berlinale
going to the uber prestigious berlinale (berlin international film festival) has been one of those unattainable dreams of mine since about 2007. i mean, why would i ever be in germany in february? welp, when it’s only seven hours away by bus and alex has the week off for spring break, it seemed like the stars were aligning to make it happen. booking our visit over a month in advance had several advantages: the bus tickets were super cheap, a great hostel near potsdamer platz (festival headquarters) was quite vacant, and i had something to occupy my always-planning mind during long, cold january. berlinale is a generally pass-less festival, with…
